Deceptions
by Natfanfirst
Summary: Natalie and her son are kidnapped and John is called in to help bring them back to her husband, who isn't John, See what happens when John meets Natalie's husband and child.
1. Chapter 1

**ABC owns them**

**Deceptions

* * *

**

**Chapter 1**

"It's alright Baby, it's alright Aiden, don't cry, we'll get out of here, mommy will get us out of here" Natalie told her three son as she stoked his hair.

Natalie sat with Aiden laying across her lap, she was trying so hard to ease his crying but the little boy only wanted out of here, she only wanted out of here, they wanted to go home. It had been three days since someone took them, took them right out of her own home. The home they shared with Darren, her husband, Aiden's father, well.. maybe not his real father, since his real father didn't have any idea about Aiden.

Natalie looked at Aiden's dark, dark, Brown hair as she smoothed it back, he was the spitting image of John and she knew it, as a matter of fact plenty of people knew it but no one dared say it, she had married Darren while she was pregnant with Aiden, he was a good man, a really good man, he always treated her well, he was a friend of Kevin's well.. not really a friend a colleague of sorts, see.. Darren was an up and coming attorney and he set his sights on politics, he wanted to be the next Lt governor, something Kevin knew about so that was how they met.

When they married neither of them did it for Love, it was companionship for Natalie, it was a father for her son, John wasn't anywhere to be found, he left town to find his dad's killer and never did. He never came back either.

Their marriage was a good move for Darren, he needed to be married to be taken seriously in politics, it even added to his package that he was having a kid. It was a good move for Nat too, this way she wouldn't have to go thru life alone, alone cause she knew after John Mcbain, who could equal up, who could compare, she would never have that type of love again and she hadn't wanted to ever try.

It was a good move; it was a really good move for both of them.

So now she sits, sits alone with her son on her lap, waiting, waiting to find out why they were taken and when they'd be going back, when someone would find them.

John Mcbain walked into the Police station, the place he just about lived at when he worked here almost four years ago, he looked around and things seemed the same, but he knew they weren't. He hadn't spoken to anyone in the past years, not even his brother, it was to hard for him, he had failed, he failed at finding his dad's killer and that in turn meant he failed at fixing himself. Fixing himself so maybe, he could possible say the words, the words to her, the words that sat on the tip of his tongue every time he was near her.

John walked around the station and saw it wasn't very crowded, he never thought he'd be here again, but he was, but he knew it was only because a good friend, a man he admired so much had called him, called him and told him to come, that he really needed his help. Bo wasn't very informative when he got the message thru the bureau, he was back with the FBI and no one knew how to reach him, somehow Bo had some sort of connection and he found him, the older man only said it was important, really important, so of course John came, he had too.

John looked around the station before entering Bo's office, he wondered if she still worked here, was she the forensics Tech she so desperately wanted to be, the tech he so disapproved off, he remembered the last time he saw her, the last time they made love, they hadn't barely touched for so long before that and then, that night.. They just couldn't hold what they possessed for each other anymore. They released it, he yelled at her for helping with his fathers case, she yelled back at him, she was so infuriating, she got under his skin, she made him lose control when she was close and that's what happened that night, he grabbed her arms when she defied him and next thing he knew, they were ripping each others clothes off and leaving them in shreds on the floor.

"John" Bo said as he saw him standing outside his office in thought

"Bo, it's good to see you" John said as he turned to see his friend, then they both walked into the office to talk

They caught up on things for a few minutes and then Bo had to tell him what was going on, why is was so urgent for him to come and that he needed John's help

"John, I called because, well... I know it's been a long time but.. You two were close at one point, hell more than close and everyone knew it, well..."

"What are you trying to say Bo, are you talking about your niece? Is there something going on with Natalie that I should know about?"

"She's been Kidnapped, and her s---" Bo was about to say her son when he was interrupted

"I want to know what is going on with the investigation into finding my wife and my son, and I want to know right " Darren said as he rudely walked into Bo's office while Bo and john were speaking, Bo looked at Darren, a man he really never liked, a man he hated with his niece and his great nephew, a man he knew Natalie didn't love, a man that was a poor substitute for John Mcbain.

"Sit down Darren, we were just discussing Natalie and Aiden" Bo told him and John caught on, this was Natalie's husband, and she had a son.

"Darren Southers this is John Mcbain, I'm sure Natalie's told you about him" Bo said introducing the two man, Darren and John sized each other up for a few minutes as they shook hands. Darren refocused his attention to Bo.

"Are there any leads on my wife and my son? Or are you to busy commissioner to find your own niece" Darren asked coldly and arrogantly as he looked at Bo.

"You do mean John's son don't you?"


	2. Chapter 2

**ABC owns them**

* * *

**Chapter 2**

" What?" John said softly not sure if he heard Bo correct

"How dare you Comm. how dare you say something like that to me?" Darren started getting up from his seat, he stared into Bo's eyes, neither of them wavering there dispositions or their eyes

"Sit. Back. Down., I only speak the truth and you know it" Bo told Darren as he saw the man sit reluctantly. Bo turned to John after Darren sat and he softened his appearance and his tone.

"You heard me right the first time John, it's your son we are talking about and we really could use your help finding them" Bo told him calmly as he saw John's shocked face, John tried to speak but couldn't, all he could think about was he had a son, he didn't even know anything about him, he searched his brain and tried to figure out how old he could be.

"Three, is he around Three years old? John asked softly

"He was three last week," Bo answered as Darren just sat and evaluated the situation.

" I have a son, a three year old boy," John said out loud, trying to come to terms with it

"No, you don't have anything, I have a son, you weren't here, you left town and he's my son, since the day he was born." Darren told John coldly as he stared at him

"I wasn't here! I wasn't here cause she didn't tell me! I would've been here if she did"

"Are you so sure about that John?" Bo asked him softly

"What?" John again asked confused as he turned his attention from Darren towards Bo

"You were pretty messed up back then, your fathers murder it was affecting you, it ran your life. Does it still run it John, run your life?" Bo asked him

"I...I .. She had no right to keep this from me, none" John told them in a low calm tone

"Get over it already, you were no where to be found, she looked for you, I helped her, you just left her hear longing for you to come back and longing to hear words you would never be able to say, don't blame her, you're the one to blame" Darren told him coldly as the two men glared at each other, John got up pissed and was about to say something to Darren when Bo jumped in.

"Darren I think you need to wait in the hall, I need to speak to John alone" Bo said and Darren turned and left the room a bit reluctantly, but not before he made another uncalled for remark

"You're all my wife said you were, Demons and all" Darren said and he walked out of the door.

John took a seat again after listening to the arrogant words from this man, this man he didn't know, the man who was married to the woman he loved, the woman he still loves and would always love, the man who was raising a son he didn't know he had.

"John, I'm not going to make excuses for Natalie but she really did the best she could, she.. She confided in me, no one else knows except of course Darren, but she.. She really did try and find you at first but then.. Well she met him and I think he pretended to help her but.. Then he convinced her that if she found you and told you, that if that was why you came back and you weren't ready to be back, nor if you really wanted to be back, that everyone would just end up being miserable in the long run."

John heard his words but he wasn't really hearing them, he turned and looked out the window of Bo's office and saw Darren, her husband on the phone, he looked back at Bo.

"What's this guys story? And... and..."

"Just ask it John, I know you're curious, say it"

"And why did she marry him, is she in love with him?"

"It was convenient, their marriage, she got a father for her son, he furthered his career by marrying her, and then having a kid, on paper they are the perfect family, he's trying to be elected Lt Governor, she upped his chances of getting it, hell her being missing now has upped his chances of getting it even more."

"And the other question" john asked almost whispering

"I'm in no position to answer that, that is something you need to ask her when we find her"

"Hey, it's me, how are they? I understand she can be a bit stubborn, but she has to eat, find a way to make them eat, nicely, if I find out you laid a hand on them, your dead. Understand me? Good, plans have changed, meet me tonight they may have to come back sooner than planned." Darren said into his phone.

John sat back down in the chair as he put his elbows on his knees; he put his face into his hands and held it for a few seconds.

"I know this is a lot for you right now, but we really do need your help finding them, can you just hold all the anger you're feeling for her right now at bay? John, I need your help. We haven't found a single clue as to who has them and what they want."

John brought his face up out of his hands, he knew he would help, there was no question to that, the question was... could he ever forgive her, forgive the woman that he loved for having his child and not telling him, for all the deceptions.

" Was there a letter for a ransom? Was there any phone call demanding money? Is it possible she just left with her... son? Why do you think that isn't possible, we are talking about Natalie here, she is a bit impulsive" John asked Bo all these questions getting the answer of No to all of them but the last one, for a few minutes Bo didn't answer or say anything about the impulsive part.

"You've been gone along time Agent Mcbain, My wife isn't that girl anymore, she isn't impulsive, hasn't been in a little over three years, once our son came into life, she knew she couldn't be any longer" Darren told John as he walked into the room

John didn't respond to his words for a few minutes, he didn't want to get into an argument with this man about Nat's son really being his, he just needed to focus on finding them for now, find out who took them, he shook his head, thinking, thinking about this man, there was something about him, he couldn't put his finger on it, something with all of this didn't add up. John looked over the file on the kidnapping that Bo had handed him a few minutes ago, in the folder was a picture of his son, he scanned it with his eye's quickly, not wanting to get caught up in emotion and then he closed the file as he turned to Darren.

"They were taken from your home?" John asked and Darren nodded.

"I'll need access to it" He told Darren, Darren knew he had no other choice than to go along with this, if he didn't, he would surely be suspicious.

" You have to eat." the man told Natalie and Aiden when he brought there food in, Natalie just shook her head back and forth indicating no.

"It's been three days, the boy is hungry, let him eat"

"No, don't know what's in that food" Natalie told him defiantly

"You think I would put something in your son's food?"

"Why wouldn't you, you do everything your boss says right, don't look at me like that, I know you're too stupid to be running this thing, you're just a flunky for the big guy, so if the big guy says poison the food, I'm sure you're too stupid to say No"

"I should smack ya around for saying that but your husband wouldn't like it very much"

"What did you just say about my husband?"

"Nothing, nothing, I didn't say your husband"

"You did, tell me or it'll be worse when I tell him what you did to me"

"Are you threatening me, you are in no position to threaten pretty lady"

Natalie took a few minutes and had to think about it, this guy knew something about her husband, it almost sounded like Darren was the one behind this. She changed the way she was playing him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to act like that, I... I'm just so tired of being cooped up here, I mean.. When Darren brought up this idea of me staying hidden like this, I at least thought I'd get better accommodations, maybe at a spa or something but this place, and the food..." Natalie told the man nicely, she only hoped he was too stupid to realize or remember that she wasn't eating the food, if she had known all along Darren was behind this, that this was a plan why wouldn't she eat the food, she held her breath for a minute as the man seem to warm to her, he smiled, and he obviously didn't put two and two together.

Natalie smiled back at him for a minute.

"Do you want to have lunch with us, I could really use the company, and I'm sure you haven't eaten yet, there is plenty of food" she asked him and she saw the man get a sultry smile on his face which for a minute made her nervous but she overcame it long enough to set another place setting at the kitchen table in the middle of the room.

"I'd love too," the man said, as he watched her as she turned from him and walked over to the table.


	3. Chapter 3

**ABC owns them**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

It was almost three in the afternoon when Natalie put Aiden down in the bed for a nap, the boy was exhausted, he was crying most of the morning and early afternoon, he was hungry, he had been for the past few days but Natalie was to afraid for them to eat, she was so afraid there would be something in the food, she purposely invited the guard, who she found out that his name was Billy. She had invited him to eat with them, she watched him eat the food first and then when it seemed he didn't get sick she and Aiden had eaten. Aiden stopped crying after that and she was thankful, it had been so hard on her the last few days just watching him be hungry. She shook her head, discontinuing her thoughts about how horrible she felt starving him. She shook her head again, this time to knock some sense into it, she had to think about what could be going on here, try and put the facts together and figure out if it was really Darren who had them brought here, and why?

With speaking with Billy although he didn't come right out and say so, it did seem obvious that Darren was behind this, she again asked herself why as she began to get angry, very angry, why would he do this to them? Why!

They were married a little over three years, things were going smoothly, the arrangement they had was fine, he cared about her, she cared about him, neither loved each other but that was exactly as she had wanted it, and Aiden. Darren loved Aiden as if he was his son, although he was never a warm parent he was good to her son, very good to him. So why? She thought again, why? Take us, and bring us here.

There wasn't anything particularly wrong with this place, it was a small house out in the middle of the mountains, it was quiet, there was no one for miles, or at least it seemed to be that way, no one ever came here, no one, the house itself had been set up for them, for Natalie and for Aiden. There were plenty of toys his age appropriate and as Natalie thought about it, all the toys that were here were his favorite toys, like ones from home. There was even Aiden's favorite books, the one's Natalie and Darren read to him every night before bed, thinking about it there was no doubt, no doubt, Darren was behind this. But she still couldn't figure out why he went to all the deception.

John followed Darren to an upscale part of Llanview, not far from Llanfair, Darren drove his Mercedes into the garage and John parked his car in the circular drive, he walked to the front door waiting for Darren to open it.

Darren let John into the home, their home, Darren, Natalie's and his son's.

"Nice place" was all John could muster up saying as he walked into the house. John glanced around for a few minutes and took note of the place, it definitely wasn't a place his Natalie would have considered home, not this fancy place, it just wasn't Natalie, well not his Natalie anyways, maybe it was her now, maybe she wasn't the same person she was back then, maybe this was her and maybe she had been happy, happy with him, how happy could she be? John asked himself as he remembered Bo saying they married for convenience, but? But if that was true at first, why stay with him, for three years, she must have felt something for him, maybe they learned to love each other, a thought John wanted to quickly exit his head, he turned to Darren, who had cleared his throat.

"Agent Mcbain, feel free to look around the house, I have an important Conference call I need to make in my office, it's just down the hall and to the left if you need me" Darren told John as he excused himself, John just nodded and walked into the living room.

John walked right over to the mantle above the fireplace, there were several pictures on it, he took one down and studied it, it was of his son, Aiden, Natalie had called him, it was a good name, he thought as he looked at his child's face, it was like looking into a mirror for John, he looked so much like him, so much that it was scary, he traced Aiden's face with his fingers and then he turned the picture frame over and opened it up, removed the picture and put it in his coat pocket, the pocket that was placed over his heart.

Next John came to a picture of the three of them, a picture that so resembled a post card, a greeting card of sorts, it was perfect, perfectly photographed and she looked amazing in it, she had a beautiful smile on her face in the picture but it didn't quite reach her eyes, he had seen this smile on her before and it was most definitely her faking it smile, to anyone else who didn't know her, who maybe just met her they wouldn't know, but he did.

He took a hold of the frame, the next picture in it was more of a candid shot, it was of Natalie and Aiden, it was her carrying him on her hip, John was still looking at the picture when Darren entered the room.

"He was two in that picture, it's her favorite, she never wanted to put him down, she still carries him a lot although he's getting so big, she refuses to stop, she once said something about never being held as a child, so the more I tell her to put him down, the more she defies me and holds him."

John heard him talk about them, a wave of jealous ran deep thru his body, he should have been the one to be here with her, with them, anger set in a little too and he had to bury those emotions if for only a while longer, now he had to bring them back safely and then he could feel, then he could release his anger, then he could meet his son. Defies he thought, why would he use that term. He noted it, and ignored it for now.

"The file said they were taken from Aiden's bedroom? And it was around 2 am? Why was Natalie in Aiden's room?"

"She sometimes slept in there with him if he was having nightmares, as you are aware from the file I was out of town on a business "

"And you have an airtight alibi, don't you?"

"Are you trying to get at something Agent Mcbain? Do you believe I would have my wife of three years and the son I love kidnapped or even worse killed?"

"I've seen stranger things in my day and you were the one using the word killed, not me, it is a bit odd, no ransom note, no phone call"

"I bet you have seen stranger things Agent by I assure you in this case, it's not the truth, Aiden's room is upstairs second door on the right, If you think you need to check, although I assure you The police Dept did a very through search of it."

" I'll be in my office when you're done" Darren told John as he walked down the hall to his office, John walked up the stairs and towards the second door on the right, he glanced into the first door on the right and he saw it, the master bedroom, their room, the room she shared with her husband, he didn't enter it but the minute he saw the bed the feeling of Jealously and anger returned, he quickly walked pasted it and over to Aiden's room.

John entered Aiden's room and it seemed strange, Aiden had a smaller sized bed, but then there was a full size bed on the other end of the room, did she sleep in this room with him, every night, every night for the last three years? He shook his questions of where Natalie slept and whether she was having relations with her own husband and went to work looking for clues. John finished looking for clues and he found none. He walked back down stairs to see Darren waiting at the bottom of the stairs for him.

"Things aren't adding up, I have a few questions," John told Darren as he reached the bottom of the stairs

"Why? The report says the door was open, that Natalie must not have locked it that night, did she do that a lot?"

"I'm usually the one to lock up for the night, but Natalie is a trusting soul, it is possible she didn't lock the door, I know they said there was no forced entry"

"But it doesn't make sense, why would she take a chance with everything she held dear?"

"Agent Mcbain, Natalie didn't care for any of this, these things weren't important to her"

"I wasn't talking material items, I'm speaking about her child, about Aiden, about our son, whether she's changed or not, Natalie would never take a chance of anything ever happening to something so dear to her she would never put her child in a position where he could be hurt. It doesn't add up, it just doesn't make sense," John told him and he saw Darren's face change a bit

"I think we need to go down to the station, I need to ask you a few more questions, I rather do it there"

"Am I under arrest Agent Mcbain?"

"No, why would you ask that? Did you do something you should be arrested for?"

"If I'm not under arrest then there is no need for me to go to the station, if you have questions regarding to the disappearance of my wife and son, I am more than happy to answer them here, if not have a nice night " Darren told him testy and showed John the door, John left the house knowing, knowing that there was more to this than met the eye, more that Darren wasn't saying.

"It's me, how are they? Good, I'm glad they've eaten, now I need for you to bring them back, tonight, I know, I know they aren't suppose to come back for a few more days, I know this isn't the plan, but I think I've gotten enough sympathy from the community, I should still win the election in a few days, there's a pesky FBI agent that could make things bad for me, worse for the both of us if he figures it out. Bring them home the way you got them out, mild doses of sleeping pills, I'll take care of the rest when you bring them back."

"What? Of course she didn't know anything about this, what did you tell her? Nothing! Are you sure? Did she believe you, yes, good, I'll see you tonight"


	4. Chapter 4

**ABC owns them**

* * *

**Chapter 4**

John rented his old room at the angel square hotel and started to lay the files all over the room, he spread them out over the floor and he sat down in the middle of the papers and looked over everything, he had a feeling Darren had something to do with this, he knew more to this than the let on, maybe Natalie did leave him and he didn't want the scandal to effect his chances of being elected, then he thought about what Bo had said earlier in the office, said something about the kidnapping helping his campaign, no, he told himself and he kept looking thru the files.

Natalie felt all groggy, she sat up quickly and her head spun around for a minute, she focused herself and then she saw it, she was home, in her bed in Aiden's room, Aiden was sleeping in his bed, she quickly got up and put her hand on his back to feel it move up and down as he was breathing, she sighed a sigh of relief and then thought about if it was all a dream, did she dream being taken away, she shook her head and knew she didn't, she remembered, remembered that it must have been Darren, she wanted to know why, she needed to know why he put her and her son thru that hell, she stormed out of Aiden's room and looked into the master bedroom, he wasn't there, she went down the stairs towards his office but turned when she saw him sitting in the living room near the fireplace, he heard her and he turned towards her too.

"OMG! Natalie you're a live, where's Aiden? Is he alright? I was so worried, how did you get back?"

"Cut the shit Darren, I know you had us taken and before I call my uncle and have you arrested, I wanna know why? And how you could do this to us? Scare us like this?"

"Natalie I... I.. don't know what you're talking about"

"You son of a bitch, I know why, I know now, you thought you'd get the sympathy votes, bastard" Natalie said and she slapped him across the face, Darren grabbed her hand roughly.

John sat in the car, he couldn't sleep, he drove over to Darren's' house, he had just arrived a few minutes ago. Things just weren't sitting right with him; he saw all the lights on in the living room. He got out of his car and walked up towards the door quietly.

"Let go of me Darren, let go, I'm calling my uncle and your career is toast, gone, I can not believe you would put me and my son thru all that" Natalie told him as he continued to hold her wrists.

"Natalie you can't do that, everything I've worked for, everything we've built, it will be ruined, think about it Nat, there was no harm done, we can just cover it up" Darren said as he loosened his grip on her wrists little

"You're delusional" Natalie said as she pulled herself out of his grip so hard that he yanked her back forcibly and she went flying across the room towards the fireplace and fell heading her head on the brick hearth.

John was close to the front door when he heard a thud of some sorts and he looked into the living room from where the noise came and he couldn't see much but what he did see, made him approach the front door quickly, it was locked so, he banged on it for Darren to open up, when Darren didn't it, he too out his gun and shot the lock off till it opened, he ran into the living room to see Natalie unconscious on the floor by the fireplace, Darren was hovering over her feeling for a pulse.

"She has a pulse" Darren said as he sighed, John automatically called 911, he pushed Darren off to the side as he aimed his gun at him. John leaned down and checked to feel her pulse himself, then he brought his hand to her face. Darren backed up a bit, as the tow men stared at each other

"What happened!" John asked hostile as they both turned to here a small voice.

"Mommy, mommy, mommy" Aiden walked into the room rubbing his eyes looking for Natalie. The boy went from quietly looking for his mom to screaming in a matter of seconds when he saw her on the floor.

Darren ran over to him and picked him up, he pulled him close to his chest but Aiden wouldn't be comforted by him, he never was. John put his gun away quickly as he looked at the face of terror that the boy made.

"Take him in the foyer where I can see you, he can't see her like this" John told him as he watched Darren closely as he moved into the foyer to calm Aiden.

With in ten minutes the ambulance arrived and so did Bo, John had called him after he called the ambulance, Bo approached Darren and Aiden in the foyer and saw the boy was sobbing, he walked into the room and saw Natalie being lifted onto a gurney and the man starting to push it out of the room, Bo turned to John as John let go of Nat's hand that he had been holding the whole time as they waited for the ambulance.

"John what happened?" Bo asked and John explained what he saw, they both went over to Darren as he was still trying to comfort Aiden.

"Darren, we need answers," Bo told him as he approached

"Not now Bo, I need to go to the hospital and be with her, she shouldn't be alone," Darren told Bo and Bo nodded No. Bo reached over and took Aiden out of Darren's arms, Darren didn't give him up easily, Bo handed the boy over to John, who was dumbfounded and didn't quite no how to hold the boy.

John felt awkward with him in his arms for a minute, Aiden wouldn't stop crying, he turned him to look into him little face.

"It's going to be alright, your mommy will be fine" John told him and he pulled the boy to his chest, Aiden quieted within seconds, Darren looked on in shock, how could he comfort him and so quickly, John walked closer to Bo and told him he was going to take Aiden and go to the hospital to make sure Natalie was alright.

John was about to walk out when he turned back to Bo.

"Do I need one of those seat thingies for him?"

"Yeah, go look in Nat's car in the garage" Bo told John and John thanked him as he walked with his son.

Bo took Darren inside into the Living room for him to answer questions, Darren was not happy, not with the fact that Bo had handed his son to John, and then to the fact the Bo wouldn't let him leave to go see Natalie. He knew he had to be there when she woke, it was to risk for him not to be, that was of course if she woke.

John arrived at the hospital with Aiden about twenty five minutes later, it usually didn't take that kind of time to get from one end of Llanview to another but John was a bit nervous driving with his child in the car, first it took him almost ten minutes to figure out how to put the child's seat in his car.

John walked into the ER with Aiden in his arms, as he saw Vicky and Jessica were already there, Jessica saw John with her Nephew and she walked over to them.

"Didn't know you were back in town?" Jessica said as Aiden put his arms out for her to take him

"unt essica" Aiden said and he smiled a little, the three yr olds smile was weak, he was exhausted, he had been thru so much, but some how he still managed to smile.

"Do you know what's going on John and where is Darren?" Jess asked

"I'm sorry, you do know about Darren right?" she asked and John shook his head yes.

"Not sure what happened Jess, is there any word on Natalie?" John asked as it began to set in, the fear, the fear that she might be really hurt, she was still breathing when they were at the house, she still had a strong pulse but she seem to take a nasty fall, a fall, he thought to himself, was it a fall or was she struck, or pushed or shoved even, he began to get angry again as he saw Jessica give him a look wondering what was going on in his head.

"I'm sorry, I zoned out there for a minute" John excused himself as he heard her pick up there conversation

"There isn't any word on Natalie yet" Jess told him as she continued to hold Aiden

"Why don't you take Aiden and have a Dr make sure he's alright, he seems to be fine but not sure what he's been thru lately" John told her and she nodded as she spoke.

"That's a good idea John"

Jess took Aiden and went over to one of the nurses at the desk, the boy looked back at John, john watched his son's face, he smiled at john, his son smiled at him and didn't take his eyes off of John till he was down the hall and entering an exam room.

John walked closer to the room they obviously had Natalie in, he smiled weakly at Vicky as she waited outside it but neither was up for words. John continued to pace the floor for the next twenty minutes when Jess came back with Aiden.

"He's fine, perfect the Dr said" Jess told John and she saw John sigh.

"Good" John said and she watched John, did he know, she wondered.

"John.. do y---" Jess began to say as John cut her words off.

"Yes, I know he's my son, I didn't know anyone knew, but I guess you're just not anyone to Natalie are you?" John told her and she nodded her head.

After a few minutes of being held the boy was becoming heavy for Jess and he wanted down, Jess put him down in a seat by Nat's exam room, but Aiden was getting bored, he jumped out of the seat and started to walk around, he curiously walked behind the empty nurses station where he became curious and started opening and closing all the drawers on the desk.

John watched the boy in amazement, it was so funny how he just took himself and did what he pleased, not regretting it not asking permission, he was curious to what was in those draws and he opened them, he was definitely Nat's son, a handful and stubborn. When Jess reprimanded him about him being behind the nurses desk, he completely ignored her and went on doing what he wanted to, Jess at this point went over to pry him away from the desk, when the boy was to stubborn and wouldn't leave.

John watched with a slight smile on his face, oh he had Nat's disposition all right, the more you told her NO, the more determined she was. Out of the blue they heard Darren's voice.

"Aiden, stop that, you are not allowed behind there" Darren told Aiden in a stern demanding voice, the minute Aiden heard Darren's voice and tone, the boy stopped short in his tracks and returned to the chair silently.

John observed what happened and it didn't sit well. He approached Darren.

"He was just being curious, it doesn't warrant that type of tone," John told him coldly

"And what is it you know about Children Agent Mcbain? Wasn't aware you had any" Darren told him back as John walked closer to the man staring him down, John was about to say something not so nice back when the door to Nat's exam room opened, Michael and another Doctor walked out. Everyone gathered round as they looked at the doctors.

"How is my wife, Dr Mcbain?" Darren asked Cooley, as he was anxious inside to know if this was all going to blow up in his face at this very moment.

"Physically she's fine, she has a slight concussion, nothing major"

Everyone let out a sigh of relief of course everyone but Darren. Which John made a mental note of.

"Can I see her?" Darren asked and Michael stopped him as he started to walk into the room.

"Not yet, there's something all of you should be aware of"

"What is it Mikey, tell us?" John asked him anxiously, for Michael just scared him.

"She's got a case of amnesia, we think it's temporary and it's just a mild case, she doesn't seem to remember the last six years, she still thinks she's engaged to Christian Vega"


	5. Chapter 5

**ABC owns them**

* * *

**Chapter 5**

" Mikey, are you trying to tell us she has no memory of the past six years, and she thinks she is still in love and engaged to Chris?" John asked as it set in, six years ago, they didn't know each other. She didn't remember him. John looked over at Aiden who was still sitting perfectly still on the chair after Darren ordered him to. Could she not even remember having her son, their son, he asked himself, he was about to ask the question when Vicky asked her own.

"I'd like to see her but what is it we do, do we act like it's six years ago, we can't do that, cause Chris isn't here, she will more than likely ask for him" Vicky asked the Dr's.

"Try and not tell her too much, from what Dr Mcbain tells me the past six years have been hard on her, she's been thru some hard things and maybe that's why those memories are lost to her right now, I'm almost positive they won't be lost to her forever." the other Doctor told them

"What about Aiden?" Jessica asked," do we tell her about him? It's going to be hard on him not being with her or seeing her, he's already so confused."

"It wouldn't be a bad thing for her to see him, it might jog her memory a bit, sometimes amnesia patients remember their children," the Dr told them as Michael jumped in.

"Mrs. Buchanan, it would be best if you and Jessica went in first, alone" Michael said as he looked at Darren who was standing right next to the door to the room the whole time, as if just waiting not so patiently to go inside to see her.

"It would be best if you explained things calmly to her, explain just key points of the last six years, bring her up to date but don't go into anything that isn't necessary, then maybe John can bring Aiden to see her" Michael told them, completely ignoring Darren, Darren made a face and questioned him.

"And what about me? She is my wife isn't see? When do I get to see her?"

"You'll get your turn we just have to keep things slow and patient for now, not to overwhelm her." Mikey said and Vicky and Jessica went inside to see Natalie.

John went and took a seat next to Aiden as he was still sitting perfectly still, something John knew must have been hard for a three year old but he was doing it, he shook his heading thinking how odd it was, when Mikey walked over to the two of them.

"Hey, Mikey, you got something fun in that pocket of yours" John asked and Mikey smiled, Mikey took out a tongue depressor he handed it to Aiden. Aiden smiled and took it from him. John could see a steaming Darren out of the corner of his eye.

"Wow Mikey now that really is fun, a tongue depressor what's the kid gonna do with that?" John asked Mikey sarcastically as Aiden already had the depressor on his tongue making weird noises.

"I.. can.. do this. ooooooowwwwwwwwwwwww" Aiden said and they both laughed which in turn made Aiden break out laughing. As Darren just looked on feeling like an outsider.

"So when did you get back Johnny? Haven't seen or heard from you in a few years"

"I know Michael I know, I'm sorry, Bo called me about it being Important, he needed my help finding her, them"

"Yeah, what's the story with that?" Michael asked and John looked over at Darren as he answered

"Not sure Mikey, not sure but I won't be giving up till I figure it out, all of it" John told Michael a little loud so Darren would here.

Michael pulled John away from the seats for a few minutes and he had some questions for him.

"What's going on with you? Where have you been and are you alright?"

"I'm fine Mike, I don't want to get into it right now, another day, now I need to make sure that Natalie and my son are okay, and away from that man over there, cause for some reason my gut is telling me he was involved in her kidnapping."

"What? Are you sure, are you sure it's your gut and not jealousy? And then it's true then? That Aiden is your son, I kinda suspected it, that's why I went out of my way to get closer to him, probably why Natalie always let me too."

"Yeah apparently it's true Aiden's my son, and as for jealous, I'm not, she's married to that man over there and has been for three years now, she never even told me I had a son, and she let him, just raise my son as his own, oh, I'm not jealous of that man, not because of Natalie anyway."

"Keep telling yourself that maybe then you'll believe it, cause from where I stand, you are more than a little jealous, and it isn't just because of Aiden either, it's because of his mom, you're still in love with her"

"I don't wanna get into this now Michael"

"That's because you know I'm right, if I was wrong you wouldn't have a problem discussing it, you still love her, you always have, and I suspect you always will"

"What do you want from me Mike, to just stay it"

"Yeah, say it John, get it out in the open, say the truth, don't hide behind it, don't shield yourself from it, just say it"

"I love her Okay, alright, I've always loved her, will always love her, and now even more knowing we have a kid together, but she doesn't still love me, she moved on a long time ago, with that man over there,"

"That's not true John, she still loves you, she always has, that's why she's with him, that's why she's been with him these past three years, she's shielded herself from it too, she had too, you were still broken and you never came back, back for her."

"I don't want to discuss this anymore, it doesn't make a difference anyway, even if it was true and we both are still in love with each other, I'm not sure I can get over the deception"

"Now that's funny John, real funny"

"You're pissing me off Michael, what's so funny about it?"

"Nothing, it's just... well... I remember a deception that she forgave, that's all"


	6. Chapter 6

**ABC owns them**

* * *

**Chapter 6**

"Mom I don't understand, I'm not engaged to Chris, it's six years later, I'm so confused.. I mean.. I don't know what I mean.. But I do know that I want out of this damn hospital bed, and I want to go home to the cottage." Natalie told Jess and Vicky after they broke the news to Natalie of her memory lose, she took it okay they thought, she seemed calm about it but she really didn't remember anything about that period of time.

"Natalie, you... you don't live at the cottage any longer, you.. you live with your husband and son at his house"

"I'm married, and not to Chris? I have a son?' Natalie asked as Jessica shook her head

"Why don't I remember them?"

" The Dr said you probably will in time, but for now it's alright, don't push yourself to remember"

"How old is my son? Is he here?"

"He's three, his name is Aiden and he's outside with your husband"

"Well, I want to see him, them, send them in" Natalie told Jessica and Vicky and Jessica exchanged a look

"Jess, go get them, you no I'm not patient and I won't take no for an answer" Natalie told them, and Jess laughed a little, it was good to have the real Natalie back, the pod she had become over the last three years since marrying Darren, wasn't Natalie, she was always putting on some type of show.

"Jess!" Natalie demanded and Jess laughed, it was definitely good to have Natalie back, she turned and went out into the hall.

"Where's Darren? " Jess asked as she looked at John and Aiden sitting in the chairs outside the room.

"Not sure, he had a call or something" John answered her

"She wants to see Aiden, wanna bring him in" Jess told John and John automatically grabbed Aiden's hand; they walked into Natalie's room behind Jess.

As soon as Aiden entered the room a smile formed on his face matching the one on Nat's, the boy broke free of John's hand and ran by the bed.

"Mommy" Aiden called out as he smiled and ran to her

"Climb up Buddy" Natalie told him as she saw John give the boy a lift helping Aiden up on the bed, Natalie smiled at John, assuming this was her husband, of course she would assume that, her heart skipped a beat the minute she looked into his blue eye's, she knew him, although she didn't necessarily remember everything but her heart knew him, her soul, there was a feeling of contentedness and love that came over her as she looked at John and then back at her son sitting on her lap.

John watched Natalie with their son and she was so good with him, even if she didn't remember him, she felt something for the boy, John and Nat's eyes never wavered, John wondered with the way she was looking at him, as if looking deep inside him if she remembered him, remembered how much they once loved each other. He wondered if she could, could tell how much he still loves her now, how much maybe she still loves him now. A few minutes later they heard the door open and Darren walk in.

Natalie only briefly moved her eyes from John's as she saw a man come in wearing a tailored suit, hair perfectly groomed and cut, shaved, total opposite of the man the she couldn't keep her eyes off of.

"Natalie honey, I'm so glad you are okay?" Darren said as he walked in between the path of John and Nat's eyes.

"What? Do I know you?" Natalie asked as she looked at the man.

"Of course you do, I'm your husband" Darren said and Natalie got more confused, she looked to John again.

"You mean you.. you aren't my husband?" Natalie asked John and John reluctantly nodded no.

"This is impossible, almost funny, there's not way I would be married to him, to a suit, someone like that" Natalie said as she started to get herself and Aiden off the bed.

John heard what she said about Darren and he tried not to make it obvious but he chuckled out loud, then he got concerned as she was getting out of bed with Aiden.

"Wait a minute where are you going?" John asked as he came forward to stop her, she moved a little to quick and john had to catch her before she and Aiden fell.

"Thanks, I want to go home, I guess I didn't think I was this out of it, anyway, I want to go home to the cottage" Natalie told John and everyone else in the room, Vicky came forward, she and Jess were sitting in the back of the room the whole time the men were in the room, they were being quiet just observing the situation at hand.

"Natalie darling, you don't live at the cottage any longer remember, Jess just told you a few minutes ago"

"Yeah, that's right, than I want to go home"

"I'm glad to here that Honey, come on I'll take you and our son home" Darren said as he came forward and took her hand from John, John had been holding her up so she wouldn't fall this whole time.

"No! I'm not ... I don't feel right about going home with you" Natalie told Darren as she pulled her hand out of his grip, John in turn moved forward again and helped to steady her.

"I wanna go to Llanfair then, maybe the Carriage house, if no ones in there, Aiden and I can stay there if that's alright mom?" Natalie asked Vicky

"That's a perfect idea, let me go call and have someone set it up for the two of you" Vicky said as she excused herself to go in the hall and make the call.

"Natalie honey, I think you would be much more comfortable at our home where I can help to take care of you and our son."

"NO, I don't ... I don't think so, it doesn't feel right, not sure why, but... it doesn't. "

"Natalie, then I will keep Aiden back at our home with me till you are healed, till your better."

"No way, this is my son, he doesn't leave my side"

"Natalie he is my son too, I can have a court order it if you'd like"

"Excuse me?" John said as he turned to Darren after that last remark.

"He isn't even your son" John said and Natalie got confused

"What?" Natalie asked and she saw Jess and John try so gently to fish around it

John turned to Jess. "Can you take Aiden out in the hall for a few minutes?" Jess of course agreed and left the room with the child

"Natalie, I'm John Mcbain, I'm an old friend of yours, I .. never actually introduced myself earlier, but... we.. share Aiden as a child, it was before you were married to him" John told her lightly, he saw Darren's face get red and he saw him start to walk closer to Natalie.

"I'm taking my son home with me, and there isn't anything anyone can do about it, I'll have you declared unfit by the end of the day if I have to, he's my son, I have legal rights to him, I was there when he was born"

"You may have been there when he was born but you have no legal rights to him, you were never listed as his father on the Birth Certificate, John was." Bo told the men and Natalie as he walked into her room.


	7. Chapter 7

**ABC owns them**

* * *

**Chapter 7**

"Excuse me Commissioner, as far as I am aware I am named on my sons Birth certificate"

"Well you are wrong"

"What the hell is going on? No, no, I don't wanna know, I'm confused enough for today, I just need to go home to the carriage house with my son, I'll feel better there, then, maybe I'll... even start to remember stuff" Natalie said as she was starting to walk around the room.

"Now If the three of you could get out of my room and send Jessica back in with Aiden" Natalie said and know one moved, "I asked nicely now get out of my room so I can get dressed and go!" Natalie demanded this time and the three men left the room quickly.

The three men sent Jessica and Aiden back in with Natalie. The three men huddled around the room waiting to get to the bottom of things. Finally after a few minutes Darren decided he needed to open this conversation up.

"Bo, I really don't know where you get your misguided information but I was at the hospital the day Natalie signed the paperwork for Aiden's birth certificate" Darren told Bo in a matter of fact attitude

"That may be Darren but Nat gave me a copy of the Birth Certificate stating John's the father of Aiden, it's legal and it's stamped by the county clerks office"

"This is ridiculous, you have no such thing, why? Why would she do something like this? It doesn't make sense, it can't be true, he wasn't ever coming back, she knew that, that was why she married me, so then why would she name him as Aiden's father?"

"Maybe because I am!" John said interrupting loudly, Darren was getting just as heated as John now, he walked over to him and they stared each other down. Bo saw the two men about to get into it and he stepped in between them.

"Darren, have you ever seen Aiden's Birth Certificate?" Bo asked and Darren thought about it, "I must have at some point" Darren said unsure

"You probably haven't, cause Natalie gave this to me for safe keeping, she also left me instructions in case anything ever happened to her, that she wanted John to know about their son, she didn't want her son being raised by you " Bo told him and Darren got mad.

"Who the hell does she think she is? To do something like that to me" Darren said and both John and Bo got mad, John moved quickly to Darren.

"I don't like your tone again, first you used it with my son, now with Natalie, you better be real careful, real careful using it to either one of them again."

"Is that a threat Agent Mcbain?"

"Oh no, it's a promise. You talk to either one of them like that again you'll be beyond sorry," John told him and he backed up a bit.

"Darren, I think maybe it's best if you leave now, you can call Llanfair tomorrow and check up on Natalie" Bo told Darren as Darren just shook his head and started to walk away. Bo called back to him.

"Darren, make sure you don't leave town for any reason, we're still investigating the kidnapping, there's still questions I'll needed answered from you" Bo told Darren as he walked off sulking.

John and Bo stood discussing what Darren had told Bo about what happened. How Darren said he was out only to come home to see Natalie walk into the Living Room, how she seemed unstable when she walked, almost like she was drugged and when she walked near the fireplace she stumbled on her own feet and fell, how he tried to run to her and catch her but it was to late, it all happened so fast he said and Darren told him he had no real answers on how they got back.

John heard Darren's account for what happened and he shook his head, this guy was definitely lying, and big time, he was getting himself in deeper and deeper because now more than ever he was going to prove he was the one who had them taken in the first place, and the reasoning behind it John told himself, to further his career, his career, John thought and almost laughed out loud, this guy would be lucky if he didn't spend ten years in prison after John proved he kidnapped his Son, his son and Natalie.

Natalie came walking out of the room with Jess and Aiden in tow, Vicky met up with them in the hall and they all went to the carriage house. John watched as the four of them walked out of the hospital, he wanted so bad to talk with her again, but thought it best right now to let her rest, she had been thru so much, on top of losing six years, she definitely needed to rest. He left to start working on catching Darren up in all his deceptions.

The next day about lunch time John arrived at the carriage House, he wanted to see them, and make sure they were still alright, to see if maybe Nat's memory was coming back to her, maybe the memories of the two of them were coming back to him, he also wanted to try and spend time with his son.

He rang the bell and Jessica answered it.

"Hey"

"Hey, how are they?" John asked as he walked in.

"Nat's resting and well.. well.. As for Aiden, see for yourself" Jess said and she moved out of his way so he could see a happy Aiden on the floor playing with Trains, the boy was smiling and amusing himself. John smiled seeing how happy and content he looked, he sat down on the couch behind the boy as he played, Aiden was so involved with his trains he didn't even notice John was in the room.

John heard Jessica's cell phone rang and watched as she took the call, she seem to be telling someone on the phone no, and then she hung up.

"Was that Darren?" John asked and Jess shook her head

"He just won't give up, called six times this morning, my dad's back from his business trip from London and he told the guards at the gate that Darren isn't allowed anywhere on the premise"

"Well it's good your dad's back then, to help with stuff, hey, you probably have a bunch of stuff to do, you have a daughter too, right?" John asked and Jessica nodded her head.

"Why don't you let me stay with Aiden for awhile, if that's alright? Please, it would really mean a lot to me, I'll even watch over Natalie"

"Alright, alright but.. If Nat wakes, no questions, she's suppose to stay calm so maybe her memory will come back." Jessica told him and she left.

John moved a little closer to Aiden as he played trains on the floor, he watched in amazement and it officially hit him, his boy, this beautiful boy was his son, their son. John pushed himself off the couch and on to the floor next to Aiden, the boy finally realized he was there, John stared into his eyes for a minute not being able to form words and he smiled as he heard the him speak to john.

"Wanna play trains? You the booze" Aiden said and he handed John the caboose, John told the train and the two of them played for a long time. Neither of them saw Natalie as she came down the stairs and stood and watched them play. Natalie smiled, a feeling came over her, something she couldn't describe something telling her still was right for what ever reason, the two of them on the floor playing trains was something so right. She watched for a few minute when Aiden turned and saw her, he ran over to her and grabbed her hand and brought her closer to them in the living room. Natalie smiled and went willingly. John turned and saw her smile and he almost melted, he had missed her smile all these years, the way she just lit the room with light when she smiled bright.

Natalie took a seat on the couch over them and she continued to watch as they played after a few minutes John got up and joined her up on the couch, he watched an action she always did when she was a bit insecure, she pulled a throw from the couch close to her body, and held on to it tight.

Natalie looked into his eyes, his blue oceans, his eyes seem to absorb her, she could see herself in them.

"He's great isn't he?" Natalie asked referring to their son

"Yeah, amazing"

" From what I heard, you didn't know, know about him right?" Natalie asked as she pulled the pillow even closer to herself, John shook his head no. They sat in awkward silence for a few moments till Natalie asked.

"I married that stuffy guy right before he was born, or so they say, so... so.. Does that mean I was unfaithful to him... I mean.. what I want to know is.. were we, you and I just casual.. I mean" Natalie said getting nervous and not knowing why, she was a spitfire, six years, hell of wheels sometimes, to her she was still that same person, she didn't know she changed. What was it about him that made her nervous?

"I... I wouldn't call what we had.. as casual"

"Then what would you call it?" Natalie jumped back at him, she was going to ignore being nervous around him, she wanted to answers, she wanted to know things about the missing six years.

John sat for a few minutes and thought about what to say, then he went with the first thing, the truth.

"Intense,.. we were intense.. pretty intense" John told her as he looked at her, she seemed confused again.

"Intense? Was my son, our son, made out of intensity, I mean.. or was he made out of love, or was it the same thing to us?" Natalie asked as she again looked into the deep blue eyes. John scooted closer to her on the couch; he took his hand and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. As he grazed her ear, Natalie felt it, as if live current were running thru her body, she moved her head in closer as did he, John brought his lips in.

"Intense love" John said as he was about to put his lips on her, they stopped mid way to completing their kiss when they heard Aiden.

Aiden was tucking on Nat's leg from the floor.

"Mommy, I thirsty"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Darren peeked thru the living room window searching to see, to see what was going on, he saw them talking on the couch, they were so close, it almost looked like they were about to kiss.

"Damn it!" he told himself, ' if she remembers him, or starts to, or realizes how much she was in love with him, she may remember it all. All of it, the kidnapping, her falling, I've gotta figure out a way to stop her from remembering, I've gotta figure out a way to get John Mcbain away from her and her live, away from my son.


	8. Chapter 8

**ABC owns them**

* * *

**Chapter 8**

" Well lets go see what's in the frig" Natalie told Aiden as she got up off the couch, she looked at John briefly and then walked with her son into the kitchen to see what there was to drink.

John was sitting on the couch trying, trying so desperately to figure out what the hell he was doing, he almost kissed he. He couldn't do that, as much as he wanted to, he knew it wasn't the time or the place for that. As good as he was sure it would feel, feel to have her lips on his again, to be able to touch her again, hold her. He quickly stopped himself from his thoughts before he got himself to excited, too excited and before he forgot, forgot that he was still mad at her, sort of, not the way she was now, now she couldn't remember what she did by keeping their son a secret from him but when she got her memory back, she would remember it, doing it, but...

John thought some more about what she did, the little things she did, she could have easily named Darren as the boys father on his Birth Certificate, but she didn't, she told Bo to make sure I knew about my son if anything happened to her, both Bo and Darren told him she looked for him, he was undercover and was pretty hard to find, even his own brother didn't know where to find him and they lost touch. Could he forgive her, forgive for deceiving him.

Natalie walked out of the kitchen with Aiden, she was saying something to him, they were both smiling. Natalie was carrying three cups of milk and Aiden had a bag of Chocolate chip cookies. He watched them and his heart started to melt, all the bitterness was gone, he loved them, both of them, what else could he do but forgive her.

"Aiden go ask John if he wants some milk and cookies"

"I'm sorry Buddy, I guess you don't know his name, don't worry I just learned it myself"

"He knows my name" John told her as he walked over to the cocktail table, he moved down on the floor with them and took a cup of milk and a few cookies.

"He does?"

"Yeah...I... I was the one who found you when you.. had your accident, I brought him to the hospital"

"Yeah, what... what were you doing there?" Natalie asked and John realized they must have been keeping the kidnapping from her, they probably didn't want her to get upset by it, or feel like she had to remember, but she needed to know, didn't she? He had once kept something from her; something of great importance and it had caused their relationship to suffer. Who was he kidding, that wasn't what their relationship was suffering from back then, he was the problem, and he knew all along he was.

"John, hello John, what were you doing at my house when I had my accident?"

"It's not important, we can talk about it another time," John told her as he smiled at Aiden and started to eat his cookies.

John and Nat along with Aiden spent a nice day together; the three of them joked and played trains most of the day. Somewhere about six o'clock they were all starving, it was dinner time, Vicki had called from the house and asked them to eat at Llanfair but Natalie just didn't feel like it, she knew the family would be there and it would bother her to be there and not remember what was going on in everyone's lives.

"Hey, you hungry? I can make you and the kid something?" John told her as he realized the time.

"No, that's okay, I'll fix us something, you can go if you want" Natalie told him not wanting him to leave but she didn't know if maybe he had somewhere to be, someone to be with, something to do, she couldn't remember him, remember what he was about, who he was, she did however feel something for him, a connection, and she wondered if it was because they shard a child or if it was something else.

"Why don't we go out, the three of us, let me take you guys out for something to eat?" John told her ignoring her comment about him leaving.

"Why? I mean.. don't you have somwhere else to be, something else to do, someone else to be with?" Natalie asked as her curiosity took over her

"No, I don't have anywhere else to be and I certainly don't have anyone else to be with, I haven't in over three years" John told her as he stood up from the couch she and he sat at as they watched Aiden play on the floor.

"What? I'm confused again, I mean... I don't know what I mean," Natalie said and he laughed.

"I haven't had someone to be with, or at least someone I wanted to be with since I left town over three years ago, three years nine months to be exact" John said and Natalie thought about his words in her head, she knew what he was talking about.

"Why did you leave?" Natalie asked innocently

"I... I.. I'm not sure we should be talking about this, it could be too much for you, we're not suppose to rush your memory."

"No, I want to talk about this, how could you leave, especially if we were ... in love or how did you put it, was in intense love?"

"It's so complicated, really, really, complicated, we ... were.. complicated"

"Why?" Natalie asked again not wanting to ignore the subject.

"Natalie, this isn't good for you, you'll get answers when its time now let me take you and Aiden for dinner"

"No, I'm not eating till I get answers, tell me, please?" Natalie asked him and she wasn't going to be backing down from this, away from this, she wanted to know, she had to know.

"I was pretty messed up back then, Hell, I'm pretty messed up still"

"You don't seem messed up, you're here and you're spending time with your son"

"I am, messed up that is, now I don't want to discuss anything else, nothing more till you and the kid eats, so grab your stuff lets go" John told her and she went and found Aiden's coat, she got hers on and they all got into John's car and left.

"Where are we going?" Natalie asked as she sat in the front seat on John's car as he drove, Aiden was securely fastened to his car seat in the back seat of the car.

"Rodi's, for a burger and fries"

"Yum.. I love Rodi's burgers"

"Yep, I know" John said as he smiled over at her, he came upon a red light as he was driving and he pushed down on the brake, he pushed on the brake but he couldn't come to a complete stop, he pumped the brake a few times but the car slowed a little but never stopped completely.

Natalie saw his face and saw that they weren't stopping at the red light; instead it looked like John swerved his car to avoid another car and continued to run the red light.

"John, what's wrong?' Nat asked as she saw him concentrating on the road.

"Natalie, I don't want to worry you, but... I think there's something wrong with my brakes"


	9. Chapter 9

**ABC owns them**

* * *

**Chapter 9**

"John, what do you mean, you have no brakes?" Natalie asked, scared when he started to swear to himself.

"Natalie, climb in the back with Aiden. Now Natalie, now!" John told her harshly as he tried so hard not to lose his cool. He knew he needed to get them somewhere safe, and fast, slow the car down as much as possible and then use the emergency break. He prayed to god that would work, it had to, everyone he loved most in the world was in the car and counting on him.

Snapping out of his thoughts before he killed them all he headed toward the quarry. It was deserted and there were long stretches of hill that he could use to slow the car down with. He knew if he turned off the engine or put the car in neutral and tried to go up the slight hills they would slow the car down enough to use the emergency break and stop the car.

Natalie sat in the back seat of the car nervous and upset, she reached out and held on to Aiden as he sat in his car seat. She may have squeezed his arms to tight cause he started to cry, a piercing cry as if he knew something was wrong.

John was almost at the quarry, he was about to approach one of the hills, the perfect hill he thought. It wasn't too big of one but it was big enough to shut the car down and use the emergency brake. He was almost upon the hill and was trying real hard to stay focused and not think about what he could lose tonight; he heard Natalie in the back seat trying so desperately to calm Aiden who was crying loudly. John was upon the hill now and he said a silent prayer as he slammed the car into neutral and took his foot from the gas peddle after a minute the car slowed down and gradually stop on the incline of the hill. Then he felt the car start to move backwards off the slight incline of the hill, when the car was just about on flat ground he reached with his foot and pushed down hard on the emergency brake. John held his breath and the car came to a stop just slightly jerking them.

John took a breath and he looked in the back seat to see Natalie hovering over Aiden who wasn't crying any longer. He reached his hand over and touched the top of her head, and then he heard her speak.

"I told you Aiden, I told you your daddy wouldn't let anything happen to you or to me, he never has"

"Natalie?" John questioned surprised by her words, it almost sounded like she remembered something, or was remembering.

"It's over right John?" Natalie asked and John shook his head yes.

"yeah, It's over" he told her as he looked into her eye's and reached his hand out to touch hers, after a few minutes of just sitting there still touching hands John moved and took out his cell phone to call Bo. He got out of the car as did Natalie.

John grabbed a pair of latex gloves from his glove compartment and then crawled under the car, seeing just what he suspected, that the brake lines were cut.

"John" Natalie said as she saw him come out from under the car.

"What happened?" she asked as she saw his face

"Someone... someone cut my brake line."

"How? I don't understand. Obviously they were fine when you came to the carriage house, there wasn't anyone there that would have cut them, so how did they...?"

"I don't know, but I could venture a guess who's behind it" John told her

Twenty minutes later Bo and a couple of Forensics Tech's showed to inspect the car and evaluate situation. Natalie had taken Aiden out of his seat; she and John were sitting over by a big boulder while they watched Aiden run around a little trying to get into all sorts of trouble. John looked at Aiden as he played and then back at her, they were both so beautiful to him, so important to him and they probably didn't even know it. After what could've happened tonight, they could've both been gone.

"Hey Nat" a Tech said as he walked over to the three of them

"Ummmm.. Hey" Natalie said not remembering the man

"So why'd ya have to wait for us to get started processing things, did ya just do your nails?" the man joked and he laughed, Natalie watched him and obvious from his words this was some sort of joke the two of them must have shared at one time or another.

"Yeah, something like that" Natalie said as Bo came over.

"Why would someone cut your brake lines?" Bo asked turning to John after telling the Tech what he wanted them to do John shook his head not knowing or was he just no saying cause Natalie was right behind him. John took Bo over to the side for a private conversation so Natalie wouldn't hear when they saw Darren appear, Darren walked right over to Natalie and Aiden.

"OH. My. God. Are you two all right? My God Natalie something could have happened to you! Are you sure you are alright?" Darren said to her as he picked up Aiden and then leaned over and hugged her tightly. Natalie didn't know what to do she let him hug her and then she looked behind him. There were news reporters, cameras, she wasn't dumb and she knew this was for their benefit, what little bit Jess had told her about Darren was that he was a media hog who was trying to get elected to office, he was definitely acting different then he was at the hospital when she first saw him.

"Get off of Her " John said as he approached Darren who was still hugging Natalie and holding on to Aiden. John pushed the bastard away from Natalie, the bastard who he would bet money had his brakes cut, shoved him to the side and tried to take Aiden from him but Darren wasn't going for it. All the reporters and the Camera people jumped at the chance for photos, obvious photos of a scene, not a happy scene, but a scandalous one.

One reporter put himself in Natalie's face and started to ask her questions as Darren and John were gently tugging at Aiden, Aiden started crying and all hell broke loose.

"Mrs. Southers, can you tell us about your abduction, how is your boy Mrs. Southers, who is the man you were almost killed with Mrs. Southers, Mrs. Southers..." a reporter started harassing Natalie when Bo stepped in.

"Get these reporters and camera people out of here" Bo called to his men as he took Natalie out of the way, Natalie glanced at Darren again; he and John were still playing a gentle tug of war with Aiden.

"Will the two of you stop it already! He's not a wishbone! Give him to me, Darren I said give me my son!" Natalie told him irate. Darren handed Aiden over hesitantly sulking, when a reporter who was lurking ran up to him.

"Who's the man Mr. Southers, and is your wife having an affair with him, what was your wife and child doing in a car with that man, was her kidnapping a fake? " The reporter shot out rude question after question till finally Bo physically removed the man himself.

Natalie stood with her son a few feet away after the chaos calmly, all the chaos and those damn blood hungry reporters. She shook her head remembering what one had said; they said something about her and Aiden being abducted, something about a kidnapping. When the dust seemed to settle she asked her uncle who had returned to hold her son. She walked over to Darren and John.

"Was I kidnapped? Was Aiden kidnapped too?" Natalie asked gently as she looked at John and then she turned her eyes to look at Darren.

"Natalie, I think it's best if maybe you rest" John told her seeing how upset she was starting to get.

"No! I don't want to rest now, right now I want answers, like who took me, why and how did I end up losing six years of my memory?"


	10. Chapter 10

**ABC owns them.

* * *

**

**Ch 10**

" Natalie, now isn't the time for this, later, later I'll tell you what you want to know but for right now I think to re---" John's words were cut off by Darren.

"Come Home with me, I'll tell you everything, you need to know, anything you want to know" Darren said as he approached Natalie. Natalie shook in front of him, looked him in the eyes and shook her head No.

Before anyone else could say anything else Bo walked back over with Aiden, he handed the Boy to John.

"John why don't you take my car, take Nat and Aiden back to the carriage House, you can meet me at the station after that, I'll get a ride with one of my officers"

John agreed, He, Nat and Aiden walked towards Bo's car with Darren following behind trying to get Natalie's attention, but she wouldn't turn to him.

"Natalie, I promise to tell you the truth, just come home where you belong, you and Aiden are my family, you are my Wife for God's sake!"

Natalie slowly turned to him when she heard him raise his tone a bit.

"I don't feel like your wife and I will not ignore what I feel, leave me alone" She told him and got in the front seat of Bo's car.

John started the car and proceeded to drive them to the Carriage House, he made a phone call making sure someone would be there to stay with Natalie and Aiden, he didn't want them being alone, he still was unsure what Darren was completely up to, he was obviously the one behind his brakes being cut and his gut had been telling him all along that he was behind her kidnapping, he just didn't know what else he was capable of.

John pulled the car into the Driveway at the Carriage house, he turned to see a sleeping Aiden in his car seat, he turned back around to meet Natalie's gaze. They stared into each other's eyes for a few minutes when John reached his hand out to hers that was resting on the seat, he laced their fingers together for a minute and then finally he spoke.

"Somebody should be inside to stay with the two of you, I'll answer all your questions tomorrow," he told her as he stared into her beautiful blue eye's.

"Will...will.. you be coming back tonight, to see us, maybe check up on us," she asked and he smiled.

"Do you want me too?" he asks still smiling

"Yeah.. It's weird.. I mean, I feel completely safe with you, even being in that car with no brakes, I ... knew you wouldn't let anything happen to me or to my son.. our son. ...was it always like that?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, the safeness I feel, did you always make me feel this way.. safe and... and.. never mind it's not important, go figure out who tried to kill us tonight." Natalie said all this and she jumped out of the car, John too got out of the car, he got Aiden out of his seat and carried him inside to his bed.

By the time John got out of putting Aiden in bed, he saw Rex was there. They nodded hello to each other and then he headed towards the door with Natalie following him to show him out.

"See ya" Natalie told him as she held the door open for him so he could exit thru it. John took his hand and caressed her cheek with his palm.

"Yeah, see ya" he said as he left, turning back a few times before he got to the car, only to see her still standing at the door watching him leave.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Darren sat up the block in his car, up the block from Llanfair, he watched John leave, 'good ' he told himself as he picked up his phone as he started driving off.

"What the Hell were you thinking, you could have killed her and my son tonight, I said get rid of Mcbain, not my wife and son! You better be more careful next time, wait... I think maybe we won't have to get rid of him, we could just make him leave town, I've got a plan, meet me at the docks"

Sometime about two in the morning John knocked lightly on the door to the carriage house, he was standing there for a few minutes when a very sleepy Rex finally answered it.

"Hey, you can go if you want, I'm here now" John told Rex as he walked into the carriage house.

"No, that's okay, if anyone's gonna stay and take care of my natty and my nephew it's me, you never know, you might run again, and not come back for three more years" Rex said in his usual charming tone. John just gave him a phony smile and took a seat on the couch.

"Suit yourself, then we both can sit here on the couch and stare at each other," John told him and he saw Rex head towards the door.

"Take care of her Mcbain, not like the last time, better this time, she deserves it" Rex told him and he was out the door, John followed him and locked the door up tight.

John walked away from the door and went upstairs to check on them in the bedrooms. He walked into the room she was staying in and he stopped by the door to the room. He stared at her asleep on the bed with their son sleeping on her chest, he sighed as he took in this wonderful sight, they looked so peaceful he thought and then he noticed Aiden seemed to be stirring, he must be uncomfortable he thought, he quietly went over to him, gently lifted him off of her and carried the boy into the other bedroom.

John laid Aiden down on the bed, he pulled the covers up and over his son, John then leaned down and kissed the top of his head. He was heading back towards Nat's room when he heard her scream.

"Get away from me, leave me alone, where's my son!" Natalie was still screaming when John entered her room.

John ran when he heard her screaming, he was a little relieved when he saw she was just having a bad dream, he moved closer to her as she was still in an upset state, he pulled her up off the bed and pulled her to his chest.

"It's Okay Natalie, it's okay, Aiden's okay, nothings gonna happen to you, to either one of you, I'm here, I'm here now" John told her as he saw her open her eye's and wake. She didn't see Aiden

"Aiden?" she questioned trying not to panic with not seeing him on the bed with her.

"He's okay, he looked uncomfortable, I put him in his bed"

"Thank you,"

"Are you okay now?"

"Yeah, a little but... but I'd be better if,.. If you held me," Natalie told him as she looked up into his blue eyes. John let go of her for a second, he stood and took off his shoes, then he laid down on the bed next to where she was sitting, she moved closer to his chest as he pulled her into it, he wrapped his arms around her and held her.

"I'd be better if I held you too"


	11. Chapter 11

**ABC owns them.

* * *

**

**Ch 11**

A few hours later John awoke to feel Natalie unbuttoning his buttons on his shirt, he laid frozen with his eye's shut enjoying the feeling of her hands on him, her fingers gliding in and out undoing his buttons and grazing his naked chest underneath. He was to caught up in enjoyment to question, question why she was doing this, then after all the buttons were undone he felt her lips, they were on his chest, she was kissing his chest and starting to move her hand down his body making her way towards his pants.

John realized that although he was enjoying this he couldn't let it go on any further, she probably didn't even know what she was doing. He took his hand gently and grabbed her hand before it got to the evidence of how much he was enjoying this.

Natalie felt him grab her hand and she stopped all her actions, she looked up at him and his eyes were open and he was looking back at her.

"Natalie, we.. can't"

"Why Not?" she asked softly

"Because you're confused, you've just been thru so much" he told her as he let her hand drop, she still continued to look up at him.

"Am I confused when I know how much you care for me, how about when I know how much I care about you" she said and then she paused, she looked into his eye's and saw them get glassy.

"I know it's true, some how with everything that I can't remember, that's lost to me right now, you're not, the feelings I had then, that I still have now, they're still here, I haven't lost them" She told John and she saw him close his eyes briefly as if he couldn't believe what she was saying.

"I know you haven't lost them either" she tells him softly and starts to slowly bring her body up on his to meet his face with hers.

"Natalie" John said softly as he felt her body moving slowly up his, he opened his eye's to see her face mere inches from his, as she lay on top of his body.

"No, John, I'm not confused, not when I want you to make love to me"

Natalie leaned in slightly and John made his decision, the decision he should have made years ago, not to run, not to turn her away. John brought his hand to the back of her head then he pulled her lips into his closer and claimed them. They made love for hours, each time it feeling more and more right than the last.

They laid awake holding each other, she had her head on his chest again with her body draped over the side of his, as she ran circles with her fingers on his chest, he held her for dear life, running his hand up and down her arm. In silence they stayed this way till finally Natalie spoke softly.

"Why did you leave?"

"What?"

"Three years ago, .. I mean I guess more like four, why? Why did you leave me? It's obvious it wasn't because you didn't love me, that we didn't love each other, so why did you?"

"It was complicated, I... I was broken, I need to be fixed, you tried to help but I.. I didn't want to lose you, for you to get hurt so I left and did it on my own, well.. I tried anyways."

"But you did lose me didn't you, you did hurt me by leaving and not coming back, didn't you?"

"Yeah" John shook his head and said softly.

"And you didn't fix yourself?"

"No, I failed, I thought if I found my Fathers killer, I would fix myself and I could come back to you whole, giving you things you deserved, say things you deserved to hear, but I failed, I failed him, I failed you, and I failed in Life"

"You think you failed cause you didn't find your dads killer? That's ridiculous" she told him softly but pointed

"What?" John asked sitting up causing her to sit too.

"You heard me, that's ridiculous, you tried didn't you? Then you shouldn't let it make you feel like a failure, I mean, do you honestly thing your dad would think you failed him, maybe for something else but not for trying to catch the man that killed him. And as for failing me, you s--"

"What do you mean something else?"

"Well... well since we're talking honestly, I've...I've heard a few things, things about you that I don't remember, that you've let your fathers death, his murder dictate your life, do you think he'd be proud of that, I mean..., you aren't married, as far as I know you have no thoughts of ever being, you have Aiden by mistake, you're alone working and that's all you got, do you think that was the kind of life he wanted for you, do ya think he worked so hard in life so you could grow up and have next to nothing,

"Oh, you failed him alright, but not by not finding his killer or killers but by not being able to have a happy life." Natalie told him as she saw his face change, he almost looked mad for a minute but then, it relaxed, he relaxed again, he laid himself back down on the bed, pulling her with him. After a few minutes Natalie felt it was alright to speak again.

"Why aren't you mad at me? I mean... for keeping your son a secret."

"I could never be mad at you, not for long, I love you too much, I've always loved you, I just...Just was n--"

"Never able to tell me" Natalie said finishing his sentence, he looked down at her on his chest, their eyes met.

"Yeah" he says softly as he pulls her tighter to his body, Natalie shakes her head and closes her eyes for a moment

"What's wrong?" John asks confused by the look on her face as her eyes are still closed.

"Nothing, I ... I just remembered something"

"What?" he asks as they sit up again

"Me telling you I Love you, you not saying it back but... but we made love and you showed me, you showed me over and over." she said as a small smile formed on her face, she leaned into his forehead and touched it with hers, she took a deep breath.

"I Love you John, I may not remember everything, but I know I do"


	12. Chapter 12

**ABC owns them**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 12**

Aiden woke and ran into the bedroom to find Natalie and John asleep with the covers over them, the little boy was to young to realize what he may have walked in on and he started to climb up on the bed. He put himself right in the middle between the two of them before either of them woke.

John woke first as he opened his eye's realizing their were a pair of blue eye's that matched his staring back at him, he almost jumped but realized he was only wearing a sheet. He smiled at Aiden.

"Mommy sleeping late again?" Aiden asked and John answered yep.

"Hey buddy, why don't you go in the other room and set up your trains, I'll come out in a minute and we can have breakfast and play trains, Okay?" John asked and Aiden got a big smile on his face, the boy walked towards the door, but turned back before he left.

"My daddy never played trains with me, he too Issy," Aiden told John

"Not me Buddy, I'm never too Busy to play trains with my favorite guy" John told him and he saw his son smile, as soon as Aiden left the room John got up gently and went into the bathroom to get dressed.

Natalie woke to a house full of Laughing, she got up out of bed, threw on some clothes and looked out into the living room to See Aiden and John rough playing on the floor, John was tickling Aiden and Aiden was ticklish everywhere, she shook her head, how did she know that? she smiled knowing that she was beginning to remember things.

Natalie was still smiling when John looked over to where she was standing by the doorway and saw her.

"Hey, you're a wake, what are you smiling at?" he asked with a curious smirk

"Nothing, I... I just think I'm getting parts of my memory back"

"Something else other than this morning?"

"Yeah" Natalie said as she walked into the room closer to Aiden

"Morning Buddy, you want me to make you breakfast?" Natalie asked Aiden as she leaned down and kissed the top of his head as he continued to squirm around from being tickled.

"I already fed him, there's a pot of coffee made to, if you want some" John told her and he saw her face.

"What?'

"Nothing" she said as she walked inside to get a cup of coffee. Ten minutes later she walked out to see they were playing trains again, she took her coffee and sat on the couch and watched them for a few minutes, then John took a break from playing and sat next to her on the couch.

"He really likes those trains doesn't he?" John asked as they both looked at Aiden.

"Yeah, there his favorite, he'll spend hours on hours just amusing himself and playing with them." Natalie said and she smiled again, "I'm remembering things, again" she said looking into his eyes

"Yeah, you are" John said as he leaned in to kiss her but realized maybe it wouldn't be a good idea in front of Aiden. He tilted his head" maybe not so soon in front of the kid"

"Yeah, it might confuse him since I'm married to the man he thinks is his dad" Natalie said as she pulled away from his close lips, she backed herself up against the couch. They looked at each other for a few minutes as John tried to gather the right words to say, to ask. He debated his questions in his head and wasn't sure now was a good time to ask them.

'Just say what's on your mind John" Natalie told him, he smiled at her

"You always did know when I had something to say or ask"

"Just ask it"

"I think it can wait, I mean... until you get all your memories back, it isn't fair of me to ask it now"

"You wanna know about Darren, if I know if I loved him, if there's a possibility that I might be going back to him when I regain my memory" she said and he nodded yes, he also noted how in tune she was to him, she always was.

"I ... I.. don't remember him, remember being in Love with him, he and I didn't seem to have anything strong, not like we seem to have... I definitely wouldn't have made Love with you if I thought I had Loved him, Jess says it was different for us, for he and I, she wouldn't get into any other details. I'm positive I've never loved him like I love you." Natalie and John stared right into each other's eyes when John's cell phone went off.

John smiled at Natalie and he answered his phone, he spoke to Bo for a few minutes on the phone and then he hung up.

'You've gotta go right?" Natalie asked as she saw him hang up the phone

"It's about your car and the brakes being cut right?" Natalie asked yet another question and John nodded his head yes. They both got up off the couch.

"Lets call up to the house and see who's there to stay with you and the kid" John told her and she smiled as she shook her head

"What?" John asked smiling back at her

" You called him the kid...I don't know, it's... cute.. sort of like I've heard it before.. Like I remember you saying it before"

"Well.. . Actually I use to call you kid, the kid, when you played pool, a very long time ago" John said as he continued to smile, she looked back at him almost remembering it, almost. They stayed frozen staring into each other's eyes for a few minutes when John finally broke the trance.

"I've really gotta go" he said and he went over a few feet away and said Goodbye to Aiden. Then he walked with Natalie to the door.

"Lock this and call over to the house, have someone come and keep you company"

"Yes, Sir!" she said as she watched him walk out the door.

"Hey, maybe I'll take the kid" she said and she purposely smiled "to the park if maybe you can get some time and you want to meet us for lunch"

"Yeah, I think I could probably arrange that, don't go alone!" He said smiling but getting his point across, about her safety coming first. She nodded and he again attempted to leave when he turned back quickly, checked to make sure Aiden wasn't watching and he gave her a quick kiss on the lips, she smiled and waved goodbye.

About Three Hours later Natalie and Jess along with Aiden and Jess' daughter Tabitha walked thru the park. They were all laughing and having a good time, although Natalie still didn't remember things she was beginning to, little by little, but stuff was coming to her.

Jess and Natalie watched as the kids played on the swings.

"Aiden, not any higher than that, you'll get hurt" Natalie called to him as she saw him swinging really high, well.. Not really to high but for a three year old by himself on a swing, Nat thought it was too high. She wanted to push him but he got stubborn and told her point blank, he wasn't a baby and that he could do it himself, all by himself. She had smiled when he said that cause he looked so much like John as he was saying it and it was definitely a do it alone trait that she remembered about John.

Natalie and Jess continued to talk on a bench a short distance away from the swings when Jess cell phone rang, she looked at the Id and it was work, she excused herself for a minute as she walked a few feet away leaving Natalie alone on the bench to watch both kids.

Natalie was beginning to think about what a good night she had, her and John, how it felt good to be with him, she continued to think when she saw Tabitha jump off the swing and start running over towards the older children's play ground just behind a few tree's. Jess was still on her cell phone and had walked over by the car a nice distance away. Natalie called out for Tabitha but she didn't come back when Natalie started to run after the child. Natalie ran over to Tabitha as the she continued to keep turning around to see Aiden, he was still on the swings.

"Tabitha, you can't just run away from Aunt Natalie like that, and when I call for you to stop, you need to listen, Okay honey?" Natalie told the four year old as she leaned down to talk to her, the child nodded her head and they both walked back towards Aiden and the swings the only problem was... Aiden wasn't anywhere to be found.


	13. Chapter 13

**ABC owns them**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 13**

"Aiden! Aiden!" Natalie screamed out as she looked around the playground, Jess came back from her phone call; she walked over to a slightly panicking Natalie.

"Natalie, what's wrong?"

"I...I can't find Aiden, I turned my back for only a second when Tabitha ran off, he... he couldn't have gone far" Natalie told her trying so hard to stay calm.

"Calm down Nat, I'll go look in this direction with Tabitha and maybe you should go that way and call uncle Bo, maybe even John as a precaution." Jess told her as she took Tabitha hand and started to walk into the treed part of the park looking for Aiden.

Natalie walked away from the swings and pulled out the cell phone her dad had given her yesterday. She started to dial when she heard his voice.

"Is something missing?" Darren asked and Natalie got an uneasy feeling come over her, did this man have something to do with her son gone? No, she said and she shook her head, he couldn't have, he wouldn't scare her son, the son he thought of as his own, not like that.

"Darren, I.. I can't find Aiden,... I think He may have wandered off" Natalie told him; she noticed he didn't seem shocked by what she just said.

"Are you sure he wandered off and that maybe someone didn't take him? I mean maybe someone who was missing something themselves, something like his wife, his family." Darren told her and Natalie may not be able to remember everything but she knew what he was getting at, she had a gut feeling about this.

"Where is he!" she demanded, as all he did was walk around her with his fingers on his chin, acting like he was trying to think.

"Hm...not sure... not really sure but... maybe I might know where he is, or where you can find him, but... it will cost ya"

"What!"

"Yeah, I probably could find your son, our son but only if you decide to come home with us, and play the charade." Darren told her as she was about to say something nasty to Him and they heard Jessica calling out for Aiden, and Jess' voice was getting louder which meant she was coming closer.

"I know how smart you are Natalie, I know you understand what I'm saying, maybe not about the charade part but... you need to decide now, before Jess finds us here and then things spiral out of control again"

"Again?" Natalie questioned briefly but then made her decision, she needed to be with her son, and it was obvious this asshole had him and wouldn't be giving him back if she didn't go home with him"

"Where is he and is he safe?"

Darren motioned to a near by Limo, the back window of the limo opened slightly and they could see him playing in the car. Natalie started towards the car when Darren grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"I can get him at anytime and I just did, decide now, come back home with me, the three of us, pretend to be the family we've been for three years and everyone stays safe.. including... including John" Darren told her as he gave her an evil eye.

Natalie just shook her head as she looked at him.

"Well Natalie, your answer? I mean it's not like you didn't love me, cause you did Natalie, you did Love me, you probably just don't remember it"

"What the hell are you doing now? Are you now trying to tell me that I loved you? That we were in love, like someone who loved me so much would hold my son hostage till I came back to him"

"I do what I have to, if you had your memory you would know that about me, I set my goals high and I don't give up till I reach them. Natalie, yes or No?" Darren told her and for a minute thought she wouldn't go for it, she was hesitating; they heard Jess' voice again, even closer this time.

"I'm not bluffing Natalie, not about taking Aiden, sending him far, far away from you, I have the resources to do that and I'm definitely not bluffing about taking Mcbain out, would quite enjoy it, only this time things won't be done so sloppily, the job would get done"

"It was you then, you son of a Bitch! It was you who cut the brakes that almost killed us" Darren didn't say a word, Natalie was about to again and Jess and Tabitha reached them.

"Darren? Natalie I guess you haven't found him? Did you call Bo and John?" Jess asked as she saw that Nat looked strange.

Natalie looked at her sister, the words were on the tip of her tongue, she would tell her it all, scream that her son was in the limo, the limo who's engine just started running again after being shut off for so long, she looked back and forth between Darren, the Limo and even Jess. She had to say something before Jess caught on to something major being wrong, she couldn't chance that he'd take Aiden away, that he might hurt John. Natalie took a deep breath and closed her eye's briefly, when she opened them back up she looked at her sister.

"Aiden is fine, Darren found him, he's in the Limo and... and... I've been remembering things... Darren.. How he's my husband and all, so I'm.."

"She's decided to come home with me" Darren finished her sentence for her.

"Natalie, I.. I don't know if that's a good idea, lets just take Aiden back to the Carriage house, we'll talk and if you still want to go home"

Natalie looked at Darren briefly, he gave her the a look telling her she was going to have to sell Jess on this, on this being a good thing for her and that she wanted to do it.

"Jess' I love that you are concerned for me but.. I 'm a big girl, Darren is my husband, I need to be home with him, my son.. He needs to be home in his own bed, his own place" Natalie told her and she leaned into her and gave her a hug. She whispered into her ear where Darren couldn't hear

"Don't worry so much, I know what I'm doing"

"Take care Jess, tell mom and dad I'll call them later" Natalie told her and then she said goodbye to Tabitha.

Natalie and Darren walked off towards the limo pretending to smile as they walked side by side.

"Very well done, I did have my doubts for a few minutes there"

"You shouldn't doubt me Darren, or under estimate me, I've obviously learned from the best," Natalie said as she gave him a phony smile and kissed his cheek gently before entering the limo that contained her son.


	14. Chapter 14

**ABC owns them**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 14**

As soon as the Limo drove off Jess picked up her cell phone and called John.

"John, it's Jess"

"Hey Jess is everything alright?"

"No, I don't ... I don't think so, something strange just happened, not really sure what to make of it"

'What is it?"

"Natalie and Aiden just left with Darren, she said she remembers him and she's going home, they're going home."

"What! Natalie went somewhere with Darren, the kid too?"

"Yeah, it was strange John, really strange, hello... hello.. John are you still there" Jess asked into the phone as the line went dead.

John raced over towards Darren's house just in time to see the Limo pull into the driveway around the back of the house, he jumped out of his car and called her name as Darren's driver escorted her into the house, Natalie was afraid to look at him, she knew if she did, she would give it away, her eye's would give it away, they could never lie to him, not when he saw right thru them to her soul, she walked quickly into the house with Aiden as Darren went up to John.

"Is there something I could help you with Agent Mcbain? My wife is very tired and needs to rest" Darren asked John as he walked towards him in the driveway.

"I want to know what's going on? I need to talk to Natalie" John told him and as he started to walk passed him and tried getting into the house.

"I've already told you my wife is tired, she and our son are resting, so speaking with her in out of the question"

"Well either I speak with her or I say here at your door until I do"

"And don't test me cause I'll do it, I can be more stubborn than Natalie on any given day" John told Darren and Darren could tell he wouldn't be leaving.

"I'll see if she wants to see you" Darren told him and he walked into the door and left an impatient John waiting outside.

Darren walked into the house and over to Natalie who was standing by the fireplace, she was looking down at the ground where she had fallen and hit her head, was she remembering it? He asked himself as he approached her quietly.

"He won't go away till he speaks to you, you need to see him and sell him on us being in Love, make him leave Natalie, leave us alone or something... something might happen to him, something could happen to Aiden."

"He won't believe me even if I try" Nat told him as he grabbed her arm forcibly

"Make him Natalie! Make him believe you, if he doesn't, if he doesn't leave things will get ugly, I've worked too hard for things to get screwed up now, they can't, there are a lot people that need this election to happen for me, people that wouldn't think twice of killing an FBI agent"

"Even if I get him to believe me, he's not going to forget that Aiden is his son, he doesn't seem the type"

"I don't care what you have to do, make him go away or you'll be sorry, you'll both be sorry"

Natalie thought about Darren's words, about the fear she felt inside, the fear she felt for John, Darren was obviously desperate to have her home, desperate to win the election, this election wouldn't be happening for another three weeks but it all just didn't make sense. Now she had to tell John, lie to John about this, about being in Love with a man she was finding out was a monster, she wondered if she knew this about Darren when she remembered things, when she had her memory. Either way she knew she couldn't chance Darren hurting Aiden or John for that matter. She looked at Darren and then walked out the front door to see John on the porch pacing back and forth.

"John" she said a bit cold as he turned around and saw her

"Hey, are you Okay? The kid?" he asked softly as he approached her

"We're both fine, we're both better than fine, we're home where we should be" she told him and he was taken back by her words for a minute

"What?"

"John, I remembered stuff, my marriage, my loving husband" Natalie said and almost threw up on the words but she managed to get them out. She again looked at him and started talking.

"I remembered that I ... I Love him"

"So you decided to come home with him, bring our son back to this museum"

"It's his home John, the only home Aiden has ever known, it's mine also"

"I'm really sorry John, I... I know we meant a lot to each other way back when"

"We loved each other Natalie, we still love each other"

"No" Natalie told him, shaking her head

"Yes, you just told me last night, this morning, you still love me, you don't remember to many things but you remember loving me and not him"

"I was confused again John, very confused, I'm sorry, I never should have let it get that far, we never should have had sex, I'm married and I now remember my husband, how..." Natalie took a breath she was going to have to say it again. "How much I truly love him, you need to go, don't come back here"

"What about my son?"

"He's not your son John, He's Darren's... Darren's been raising him for three years, three years while you were messed up somewhere doing God only knows what, he'll never be your son, Go John.. It's best for everyone," Natalie told him as she walked towards the front door; he walked behind her and put his hand on her shoulder before she entered into the house.

"Natalie, you can't stay here with him, I don't think it's safe, let me take you and Aiden back to the carriage house"

"No John, this is our home with Darren, we'll be staying here, leave, go back to AC or where ever it is you've been or live"

"I can't Natalie and you know why! Aiden is my son and I Love You" John told her raising his voice a bit

"You can't love me or him, you're incapable, remember, you don't know how to Love, you never did and you never will! " Natalie took a deep breath she needed to say something that would hurt him now, something that would get him to leave them and maybe even leave town.

"I was wrong when I said how much I loved you, I could never, never love someone again as broken as you, I could never love a failure, someone who couldn't even heal himself, I can never let someone, a failure help raise my son" Natalie said the words that she knew by their conversation the other day would sting him, not only sting him, shock him, hurt him. She never looked back and walked into the house while tears threatened to escape her eyes.

John stood shocked by her hurtful words, words that didn't sound like the Natalie he knew and Loved, he shook his head thinking this was probably her, who she was today, almost four years after he left, maybe she did get her memory back, remembered who she had become when she married Darren Southers. John walked to his car and got in, he was mad, more than just mad, upset by her, upset by her telling the truth, he was a failure, he wanted to be a part of his son's life but he was too much of a failure to be a good father, he was to much of a coward to be much of anything, he started driving to the city limits, for fifteen minutes he drove almost completely out of Llanview while deep in thought. He pulled his car over at the sign that said he was leaving Llanview, he gathered his thoughts, and finally after a few minutes he turned his car around and headed back towards into town.

He had a gut feeling that things were off and there was no way he was allowing his son to be here, to stay with a man he thought to be dangerous. Even if he couldn't get Natalie away from Darren, even if it was true about her loving him, which he had a funny feeling wasn't true, he couldn't, he wouldn't allow his child to be in any form of danger.


	15. Chapter 15

**ABC owns them**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 15**

John drove straight to the police station, he went to Bo's office and knocked on the door. Bo called for him to come in and John did.

"What is it John?" BO asked as he saw the uneasy look on John's face.

"For some reason she... Natalie... she went back to him, she says she remembers, that she loves him and that he is Aiden's' father cause he's raised him. Something is wrong, off. I... don't know what but she kept insisting how much she loved him."

"That's bullshit! Natalie and I are close, very close, even if she remembers it or not. She's never once in three years ever used the word Love when it came to Darren, never; she avoided the word and the subject with me every time it came up. There's no way in Hell that, that's the reason she's back home with him."

"Then what could it be? "

"I don't know John but this is giving me an uneasy feeling now, My niece and my great nephew aren't safe being in that house with that man, not if what we suspect is true about him"

"That he had them kidnapped and then he had something to do with her hitting her head"

"Even your Brakes John, he had to have had them cut, maybe to get rid of you"

"We have to get them out of that house and away from him as soon as possible, it's not going to be easy." John told Him

"No it won't but one thing is... the election is in three weeks, he needs them for the loving family show he's been playing, I don't think he'll hurt them, not as long as... as well as long as.."

"Natalie doesn't do something stupid and impulsive," John said finishing Bo's words

John and Bo got busy working on trying to find evidence to arrest Darren for anything, anything they could get him on.

The next morning came faster than expected, Natalie avoided all contact with Darren after her heartbreaking talk with John, she and Aiden spent the night in his room, Natalie got out of Bed to see Aiden playing with his toys on the floor, she went over to him, kissed the top of his head as she said good morning.

"Morning Buddy, did you sleep well in your own bed?" she asked him and he nodded.

"I gonna play trains, can John come over and lay trains with me?" he asked Natalie and her heart sank into her chest a little further, it broke a little more, she didn't know it was possible to feel any worse than last night but she did, feel worse.

"No, not today Buddy, not today" was all Natalie could mange to get out as there was a knock on the door.

"Mrs. Southers, it's Henry, your husband's Assistant, I need to speak to you about your schedule." Henry told Natalie and Natalie tried to remember him, she was sure she knew him and his voice, his calm almost reassuring voice.

"Natalie, open the door, we're friends Darren left for the office an hour ago, he won't be back till later. Natalie walked over to the door and opened it, she walked out into the halls with Henry.

"I'm sorry Henry but I ... I don't rem--"

"I know you probably don't remember me but you and I were friends, we worked together to get Darren where he is now, for the past two years, I think we've spent more time together than you and Darren have."

"Well at least that was a good thing huh?" Natalie said with a smirk but Henry never broke a smile.

"Darren wants me to go over your schedule with you, appearance and stuff." Henry told her as he led her towards Darren's office. Natalie stopped walking

"What? does he seriously think I'm going to go out and put on a happy face."

"Mrs. Southers, please don't say another word." Henry said and Natalie looked at him puzzled.

"Now as for your schedule, here it is," Henry said as they walked into Darren's office, Henry handed her an appointment book but instead of seeing a typical appointment book page she saw a few receipts. She briefly looked up at Henry, who mouthed a go a head to her as she looked back down and looked over the receipts.

They were receipts for a security systems, surveillance system, but not for outside, but for inside, Natalie read over them for a few more minutes, she read all the details of the installation of the system. She shook her head knowing she couldn't say a word cause she was being watched. She closed her appointment book and looked back at Henry.

"Thank you, I'll be dressed and ready by nine" Natalie said as she walked towards the office door to leave, she turned back around before leaving.

"We were friends weren't we?" Henry shook his head

" A little more than friends, we were as close as family"

"I think I remember that, something about a cake"

"Yeah" Henry said and he laughed.

"Yeah, no one had after taken the time to make me a birthday cake, and you and Aiden made me one for the past two years." Henry said as he smiled

"And it fell, right in the oven, Darren screamed at the cleaning woman, and the cake fell"

"Yeah, but it was still the best Birthday and Birthday cake I had ever had, Aiden used like three cans of frosting to try and cover it up" Henry said and he rolled his eye's up motioning that they were being watched, Natalie took the hint and walked away, she went upstairs to try and get ready.

Nine o'clock came, Natalie and Aiden walked out to the Limo to find Henry and another man sitting in it. The other man looked familiar, very familiar.

Natalie never spoke a word to anyone in the limo other than Aiden. They arrived at Town Hall to see Darren standing outside the front steps holding some type of press conference, Natalie took Aiden's hand, put on a phony smile and got out of the Limo when the driver opened the door for them.

The Limo Driver helped to escort Natalie and Aiden up by the podium for which Darren was speaking from. Darren was in the middle of answering a few questions when he stopped what he was doing to walk closer to his family and help to walk Natalie and Aiden closer.

"Excuse me for a moment, her is my lovely wife and my son now" Darren said as he took Natalie's hand, he smiled at her, she gave him her phony show face and he escorted them up to stand next to him as he answered a few more questions pertaining to the up coming election for Lt Governor.

John stood within feet from the steps to city hall, he watched them, Natalie and Aiden walk up to Darren, his stomach wanted to bring up all that he had eaten over the last few days as he saw him put on a show, a show of a loving and devoted father. It killed him to watch as Darren held her hand and answered question after question. It took all his control and restraint not to push the crowd away and take them away from him, to take them far away. He shook his head as he saw Darren pick up Aiden in his arms as he was whining down the conference.

"Mr. Southers your son is adorable, will there be any more children in yours and Mrs. Southers future?" a reporter asked and Darren smiled, John heard the question and felt even more ill when he heard Darren's response.

"Of course there will be more children, Natalie and I love children, I have got to say my wife is the best mother I have ever seen" Darien said was a sweetness oozing out of him as he smiled at Natalie. " Actually Mrs. Southers and I have been working on it and as soon as we have news, well.. You all will be the first to know" Darren said with a small chuckle as he again looked at Natalie, this time Natalie, all thou feeling quite ill with hearing his words, even if they were just words, she put on her game face and smiled just like the loving wife she was suppose to be. The conference ended and the three of them were escorted to their Limos.

As Natalie and Aiden passed by a crowd of people they saw John standing over by Natalie's Limo. Aiden saw him first, he ran closer to him.

"ohn, u wanna play trains," Aiden asked as John leaned down and hugged his son as he grabbed his leg.

Natalie felt as if her heart stopped for a few minutes, he was so close, so close, she even thought about telling him, telling him the truth for a minute when... when the other man, the one that was in the limo with them, he stepped out of the car, he put himself right in between Nat's view of John.

The man gave Natalie a look, a look telling her it was time to go and that this would cause problems. Natalie briefly walked around the man, took Aiden's arm, she briefly looked up at John.

"Not today Buddy, John can't play trains with you today, come on we have to go" she told Aiden as she took his hand and lead him to the car, only turning back once to look into John's eye's. John couldn't let it go, he followed her as she started to get into the car

"Natalie" he said as the man watching again put himself in between John and Natalie

"Mrs. Southers is busy, Agent Mcbain"

"Who are you? And how do you know my name?" John asked as the man didn't answer and got into the car. The car drove off as John watched it leave. He took a deep breath as he watched them, the two things he loved most in this world drive off.


	16. Chapter 16

**ABC owns them

* * *

**

**Chapter 16**

" John, Calm down I know it's been three weeks and we still don't have anything to tie Darren into anything illegal, it will happen soon, soon I promise"

"I can't stand it anymore Bo, my patience is running thin, I can't stand seeing her with him, my son with him, knowing, knowing he could hurt them again at any time, knowing I can't talk to them, be with them, protect them, it's making me feel like more of a failure."

"John, you aren't a failure, I'm very proud of you for the way you've been handling this case, handling all of it, especially the way you handled things when you found out about Aiden and that Natalie didn't tell you or make more of an effort to tell you."

"Natalie are you alright in there?" Henry asked as he stood outside the door to the ladies room at the Palace Restaurant, he had Aiden's hand and they were all suppose to be meeting Darren for lunch, they were putting on appearances around town since the election was tomorrow.

"I'm alright Henry, I'll be out in a few minutes, something from breakfast must not have agreed with me" Natalie said as she continued to get sick in the ladies room.

"Nat, you didn't have anything for breakfast this morning"

"Are you sure?"

"That's it, I'm going to tell Darren I'm taking you to the hospital to be checked out, wait here I'll be right back for you" Henry said as he walked passed the guard that was always with Natalie and her son when she was out of the house, the guard that was actually living in the house to make sure Natalie and Aiden stayed put where they were, where Darren thought they belonged.

Henry whispered to Darren about Natalie being sick, Darren whispered back that he would meet them at the hospital in a few minutes after his lunch appointment.

Henry escorted Natalie into the Hospital and spoke to a nurse as Nat and Aiden took a seat in some near by seats.

"Natalie" Michael said as he approached her and Aiden, Natalie's guard moved a little closer as he saw Michael approach.

"Is everything alright, is Aiden sick?" Michael asked her concerned as he approached her slowly, he saw her guard and noticed the man was more than friendly looking.

"Aiden is fine Michael, We're here for me"

"Really? Is it your memory, does your head hurt? "

"No, no, my head is fine, I think I have some kind of food poisoning or something, I'm not feeling well"

"Follow me I've got a few minutes left to my shift I'll examine you" Michael said as Natalie stood but before she could walk away with him Darren entered the hospital lounge and saw them.

"Natalie honey, are you feeling better?" Darren asked playing the concerned husband act he perfectly as of late.

"I was just going to take her in the exam room and find out what is wrong with her" Michael told him in a snide tone

"That's not necessary Dr. Mcbain, Henry has arranged for a more suitable, experienced Dr to examine my wife, good day" Darren told him and escorted Natalie off into another room that Henry had pointed to.

Michael didn't like the way Natalie looked and he knew a little bit of what was going on from when he spoke to John last. He picked up the phone at the nurses station and dialed.

"Hey John it's me"

"Yeah, Mike what's up? I'm pretty busy at the moment"

"Just thought you'd like to know that Natalie's here at the Hospital"

"Is something wrong with Aiden? Or with her?" John asked panicking inside as he headed out the door of the police station as he continued to talk on his cell with Michael

"Aiden's fine, Nat said something about not feeling well, something about maybe food poisoning."

"I'll be there in a few minutes"

Within minutes John was walking into the hospital and over towards Michael who was standing a few feet away from the Exam room Nat was in.

Before John could say a word to Michael they both saw a Nurse come out of the room with a few vials of blood, and then Darren, Two unknown men followed. One of the men John didn't know was holding Aiden's' hand. As soon as Aiden saw John he let go of Henry's hand and ran to John grabbing his legs, and holding on.

"ohn" Aiden said as John smiled at his son and leaned down and messed up his hair.

"Hey Buddy, how are ya?" he asked him and the boy smiled.

"I OK, Mommy's sick" Aiden told him, John looked up at Darren and saw that he was ordering one of the men to go and get Aiden away from him.

"Aiden, why don't you and I go get your mommy a magazine from the gift shop, come on, say goodbye to your friend John" Henry told Aiden as he went closer to John, John and Henry exchanged glances and he took Aiden's hand and walked away wit him.

"I'll see ya ohn" Aiden told him as he walked with Henry, Darren moved closer to John about to have a confrontation when Darren noticed Natalie's Doctor approach her room. He went closer and asked if he could have a moment of his time.

As Darren and Natalie's Doctor were down the hall discussing Natalie, Michael walked over to John. John's eye's never wavered from watching the Dr and Darren as he spoke to Michael

"Who was that man with my son?" John asked Michael

"That's Henry Sims, he's Darren's assistant, he's a pretty good Friend of Natalie's, they're close" Michael told John and John felt a weird pang in his stomach, a pang of jealously, should he be jealous of this man now too? He asked himself as he heard Michael answered his unasked question.

"They're just friends John, good friends, nothing more, nothing less, actually it should make you feel better that he's around, he won't let anything happen to her, he doesn't have any family, he was an orphan and he considers Natalie and Aiden his family." Michael said as they watched Darren and Nat's Dr walk into Nat's room, John moved closer to the room but didn't get to close, Nat's guard was standing right outside the door protecting it against visitors. John walked back closer to Michael.

"If this Henry is so close to Natalie and Aiden, where was he when they were kidnapped?"

"Read your reports John, I believe he was out of town, Darren sent him out of town on business, and if you think about it, it was probably because he was going to have her kidnapped, he knew Henry wouldn't go along with it.'

John was about to say something when they all heard Natalie scream.

"NO!" John heard her scream and with the help of Michael pushed passed Nat's guard and went into her room. When John entered the room he saw Darren standing in the back and Natalie looked devastated, the Dr was trying to calm Natalie down.

"No, there's no way, no way I'm three months pregnant"


	17. Chapter 17

**ABC owns them**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 17**

John heard Natalie's words and he was stunned, he stood a few feet away but couldn't move, he couldn't say a word, was she really pregnant? He asked himself as he watched thru a fog, watched, as Michael got closer to her, Mike took the other Dr's report and read it over.

"Natalie darling, that's wonderful news, we had been trying for so long" Darren said as he started to approach her, she put up a hand quickly to get him to back away, when she did she realized for the first time that John was in the room, she caught his eye and she wanted to just cry, do more than cry, run into his arms and let him make it all better, but she couldn't, if she had, who knows what and who Darren would take it out on. She shook her head, and thought about what it meant to be pregnant, and to be pregnant with Darren's child, she couldn't remember, had they really been trying before she was kidnapped and lost her memory?

Darren approached her again, trying so desperately to play the loving, proud husband and Natalie again swatted him away.

"I want everyone out," she said softly, as if defeated, as if this last thing completely defeated her. No one moved and she became madder by the minute.

"I SAID GET OUT! ALL OF YOU!" Natalie said again and she looked to Michael. Everyone left, Darren looked back behind him to see John leave just as hesitantly as himself. Natalie grabbed Michael's arm before he left.

"Is it right Michael? The report on my blood, am I really pregnant?" Natalie asked him almost afraid he was going to confirm what she had just learned.

" According to this report it's true Nat" Michael told her and she turned away from him, what the hell was she going to do now? She asked herself.

"Thanks Michael, please leave, I need a few minutes alone" she told him as he started to walk near the door.

"Natalie, you don't have to keep it, you know right? It's your choice"

"Michael"

"I know, that was stupid, I know you to well, just let me know if you need anything Kid, I'll be here for you" Michael said and he left, Natalie laid back on the table she had been sitting up on, she closed her eye's tight, wishing it would go away, everything, all that she could remember, the bits and pieces that was coming to her, the feelings she got when she spoke to people, like the feeling she got with Michael, he was a friend, a good one apparently cause she felt a closeness to him when they interacted.

Natalie stood on the exam table for a few more minutes and she had a vision, not a vision a remembrance. It was Michael telling her those same words when she announced she was pregnant with Aiden. He like John called her Kid a lot, which she remembered always surprised her cause she and Michael were about the same age. She opened up her eyes and smiled when she heard a small voice enter the room. She heard him giggle when he thought she was a sleep.

Natalie continued to lay there awake on the exam table as she heard Henry's voice also. She still needed more time to think, she needed to figure out how she was going to get out of this, get her and her son away from Darren, away and still keep everyone safe, there was always someone watching her, this exam room was probably the only place she could speak freely to anyone, do anything and not be watched like a hawk. This room, she told herself. She jumped up off the table and turned to Henry.

"I can't have his baby, I can't stay there like it's been anymore, we need to figure out a way to get me out of that house, to get Darren put away for good so everyone, everything I Love is safe, help me" she asked him as she went over and touched the top of Aiden's head as she looked at Henry for an answer.

"You know I'll everything I can, but... but.."

"But what?" Natalie asked him getting a bit defensive and trying not to raise her voice in front of Aiden.

"I'd do anything for you and Aiden, but there's things... things Darren has on me, things I did a long time ago when I was a messed up individual, things you probably don't remember and if they get out, if he uses them like he's been threatening to do all these years, then I'll be going away for a long time"

"I don't know about you then Henry, but all I know is I'm tried to being afraid for myself, for my son and for John, even for the people close to me"

Natalie continued to look at Henry for a few minutes when Henry finally realized it was time to help, to act, if she was going to find the courage to do something to get away from Darren, then he would help her, even if it meant he would be exposed for his pasted crimes.

Natalie and Henry quickly tried to come up with a plan, a plan to try and catch Darren in something, anything illegal, Henry reminded Natalie that Darren had a lot of important papers that he kept locked up in a cabinet in his office at the house, they knew they would have to get into those, there would probably be some stuff they could use against him in there, but how? There were cameras everywhere in the house, Henry pointed out that there wasn't one in Darren's office but there was in the hallway. They just needed to get into his office when he was out tonight, get in without anyone seeing them go in there.

In the Hall

"How long does it take her to get dressed?" Darren said Impatiently as he looked towards John who was also impatiently waiting, it seem to be taking her what seemed like forever but was actually only a few minutes. The guy Henry and Aiden had gone in a few minutes ago and for some reason that bothered John, the fact that there was some other man in a room with her, in with her as she was suppose to be getting dressed. A man that wasn't him was maybe making her alright, making her feel alright about all of this, the facts, the fact that she was pregnant with a baby by the monster that was losing patience a few feet away from him.

John thought some more, a baby, Natalie was having another baby and this time it wasn't his, she was having his baby, he had heard Darren tell Reporters that they had been trying, was that true? Did she love Darren enough to give him a child to want to have a child with him? Was he just wasting his time trying so desperately these last few weeks to find any evidence of Darren's wrong doing, was he still to much in Love with her to see what was right in front of his face, he shook his head confused, he just didn't know anymore, did she really Love Darren? Did she still Love him? Did she even get her memory back like she wanted everyone to believe?

John's thoughts were interrupted when he saw them walk out of the exam room, Natalie had a hold of Aiden's hand and Henry walked next to them holding the stuff the Dr had given Natalie. John knew it might end badly but he didn't care, he had to make sure she was alright, he walked right up to her.

"Natalie, are you alright? Why don't I take you and Aiden back to the Carriage house or to Llanfair, Jess says she hasn't seen much of you over the last few weeks" He asked her as she just looked into his eye's, she could get lost in his strong beautiful eye's forever but... but she knew she couldn't or at least not yet, she looked over briefly to see Darren's face, he had his stern disapproving look on it and she spoke softly but firmly to John.

"No thank You, I'll be going home to rest" she told him as she walked over by Darren, they walked out of the hospital side by side with Aiden.

"Very well done, he looked crushed, I almost didn't think you could pull it off, especially with your emotional state"

"My emotional state has nothing to do with anything, it would kill me if something happened to him"

"Don't forget to put on your happy face Natalie, here comes the reporters, they are very interested in hearing our blessed news."


	18. Chapter 18

**ABC owns them**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 18**

Henry started to walk out behind Natalie, Darren, Aiden and the Guard when he stopped walking. The guard saw him stop and he turned and looked at him.

"I forgot Natalie's appointment book in the exam room, I'll meet all of you at the car" Henry turned and walked back into the hospital, he walked down the hall and over towards John and Michael who were just deep in conversation, he was pretty sure the conversation was about Natalie.

"Excuse Me, Agent Mcbain, I'm Henry Sims, I need to have a few words with you about Mrs. Southers, about Natalie" Henry told John and then he and John walked away from Michael over to the doors going outside to the terrace.

"What do you have to say about Natalie?" John questioned him the minute they were in private.

"I just wanted to tell you...well... tell you, that it will all be over soon, if things go as planned, she and Aiden w--"

"You mean my son" John told him just so there was no confusion on who Aiden was to him, he was his son, Natalie was the woman he loved, had always loved and he could tell there was more to how Henry had felt about Natalie than what Michael told him. He was pretty sure by the way the man looked at Natalie that he was in Love with her.

"Yes, I mean your son, after tonight, Natalie and Aiden should be safe"

"Why after tonight? What's going on?"

"I can't get into it but Natalie and I are handling things from the inside, after we take care of a few things I... I ... I probably won't be around to help, to make sure she's alright, their alright, so... so.."

"Just spit it out "

"So... I just want to make sure that you were all she talked about, you know, when she had her memory, she use to talk about you all the time, how you got her, how safe you made her, how she loved you, how she missed you. I just want to make sure, I just want to know if you are going to stay around this time, she said you ran because you were scared, she's going to be having that assholes baby, will you be able to handle it, I need to know now, cause if you can't"

"So she doesn't have her memory back?"

"No, just bits and pieces she's been putting back together, back to my question, do you have an answer for me? If you're not going to be able to handle things, I want to know right now, I'll need to come up with a different plan then, one where I can watch out for them when you run again."

John thought about his words, if he didn't think this man was in love with her before, he knew now. He thought about what he said, about him not being able to handle that she was having a baby, a baby that wasn't his, would he run, he shook his head knowing his answer, thinking back to what she had said to him a month ago when they made love in the carriage house, that he wasn't a failure, that his dad wouldn't have been mad at him cause he didn't find his killer but that he'd be mad cause he wasn't living a happy live, a happy live that John knew he could only have if he wasn't with her, and their son, and if he had to raise a child that wasn't his with her, he would love her and them, all of them just as much.

Henry watched, as John seemed to have a private debate in his head, he shook his head and headed out the door.

"That was exactly what I thought," Henry said although John didn't say a word.

"I've gotta go before they realize I've been gone to long, I'll make sure their safe tonight, but after that, it's your turn, don't blow it this time" Henry said as John tried to stop him, he needed more information than that, what was Natalie getting into tonight, was she going to be safe, he started to worry and was unable to get any more info from Henry as he watched him leave the hospital.

Natalie sat in Aiden's room watching the clock as she remembered what happened earlier today. She found out she was pregnant, not just pregnant but almost three months pregnant, why hadn't she known? Why hadn't she felt something, three months was a long time to go and not know you were pregnant, she chalked that up to no having all her memories back, cause if she did, then maybe she would have realized it, something about it just didn't sit right for her, she just couldn't believe she was having that man's baby. That monster of a man, her husband, she tried real hard to remember what he was like when she married him, was he that God Awful of a person when she married him? Was she that stupid or was she just so upset over John not coming back that she married him to protect herself. Just the idea that she had, had sex with that man and conceived a child made her run to the bathroom to be sick.

Natalie returned from the bathroom, still disgusted and weesey. She looked up at the clock on Aiden's wall and saw that it was almost eight o'clock; Darren would be leaving soon, and then when he did.. She and Henry would put their plan to find stuff on Darren out. She tried to concentrate on the task they needed to accomplish tonight but it was so hard, her mind kept going back to the look on John's face when he heard her say she was pregnant. He looked mortified, stunned, more than just shocked. She wondered how all of this was going to go down, come about, she didn't have all her memories back but for some reason or another there was some sort of connection between she and John.

The connection, she thought, it obviously was so strong that even with the years that had pasted for them, years apart, even with her not remembering him, even with the deception of letting another man raise his child as his own, it was still there and still strong, if not stronger than ever. She had only hoped that when all this was said and done, when it was finally over, when everyone was safe, that the three of them could be together, maybe even a family someday, but it would be more like the four of them before to long. Natalie fought back a few tears that were threatening to escape her eye's as she thought about if he would still want her, still want to be a part of her life, now... now that she was carrying that man's baby. He had told her he loved her now, she only hoped that the love that they both shared was enough... enough to get them all thru this and safe.

Natalie came out of her thoughts as she heard a single knock on the Door adjoining Aiden's room. That was the cue, it told her he was out of the house, that Henry was going to sneak down stairs and cut the power off to the house. Natalie grabbed a flashlight that she kept hidden under Aiden's covers and waited for the power to go dead, Aiden was already asleep in his bed, she lay next to him for a few minutes as he slept, she kissed his head.

"I Love You Buddy, this has to work, I've gotta find something, I just have to, for us, for all of us" Natalie said as she touched her stomach


	19. Chapter 19

**ABC owns them**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 19**

John sat in his car outside of the police station, he and Bo had worked all day on something they thought might help to bring Darren down and get Natalie and Aiden away from him but it turned out to be a big waste of time. Now he sat frozen in his car just reanalyzing Henry's words from earlier. Something was going down tonight, something major and he began to get worried again, he put the car in drive and started to drive towards Darren's house.

Natalie continued to wait she was still laying next to Aiden now pretending to sleep when she heard the TV that was on in the room go off, she opened one eye slowly to make sure the electricity was off and she slowly got up out of the bed, she took the flashlight out from under the covers and touched Aiden's head gently as she turned on the light and walked down the stairs.

Henry was able to get a few minutes alone earlier when he wasn't being watched and had managed to have Darren's cell phone service interrupted for the night. Darren hadn't even realized it earlier and that he was thankful for.

Natalie made her way down to Darren's office as Henry went and locked the guards who were watching the TV monitors in the surveillance room. Natalie could hear them screaming at Henry from downstairs and she got a little bit more nervous.

Natalie quickly went into the office, she looked around the office, looking for the cabinet Henry had told her would contain anything of importance to Darren, anything that he didn't want anyone to get a hold of. She spotted it and moved closer, it was locked. She had known it would be, good thing Henry had watched Darren put the extra key for the cabinet in a plant near his desk a while back. Natalie felt around in the soil of the plant and she found the key, as she pulled it out she noticed her that the light from her flashlight was getting weak.

"Damn!" she cursed because she never even thought to check the batteries in the flashlight, as it was almost completely dead. While she still had a little light to it she noticed Darren's antique candle opera on a shelf, she pulled it down and then looked on his desk for a lighter, remembering something about her having an argument with him about Aiden being able to reach it. She found the lighter and lit the candles just in time as the flashlight went completely dead, she placed the candle opera on the desk, she opened the cabinet with the key and started to look thoroughly thru the files in it.

"OMG!" she said out loud as she pulled out papers.

"What is it? Is it something we can use?" Henry asked as he came into the room with his flashlight

"Yeah, take a look" she said as she handed it to him and then started to look thru the files some more.

"Holy shit! Did you know Darren's got a few off shore accounts, there's some large sums of money being put into it monthly, and it's not from any of his business accounts, it's gotta trace back to someone" she said as she handed that folder to Henry. She again continued to look thru the cabinet as she came to a folder marked John Mcbain.

"What the hell?" Natalie asked, as she looked thru it, "That son of a Bitch, if I didn't hate him already."

"What? What is it?" Henry asked and Natalie brushed him off

"We don't have time to get into it now" she said as she came upon two more folders.

She handed another one to Henry " this one is for you, take care of it and I'll never tell, that is if I remember" she told him with a small smile

"Natalie, I think we have to go, we should have enough to take to Mcbain or your uncle, these files should make you safe, make all of us safe"

"Just a few more minutes"

"No Natalie now, it's risky the guards could get out"

"Okay, Okay, go get Aiden and meet me outside across the street at the neighbors house like we planned"

"Natalie, we have enough"

" I know, Just get Aiden out, I'll be right there!" she told Henry and he ran to get Aiden out of the house.

Natalie was still looking thru the files when she heard the front door open, she assumed it was Henry taking Aiden out and thought nothing of it, she dug her hand into the file cabinet for the last file in it, she pulled it out and looked inside to see a picture of a man, and a picture of a small house.

Natalie stood frozen as she looked at the two pictures in front of her; she closed her eyes briefly. She remembered, she remembered it, the house, the small house with all the furnishings and toys of home for her and Aiden, and the man, what was his name? She asked herself,... "Billy" she screamed out a little loud as she opened her eyes.

As Natalie opened her eye's she saw him, he was angry, beyond angry, she had never seen him look like this, yes, she did... the night he had her, them brought home, the night she confronted him, the night he threw her to the ground and she lost her memory.

"Natalie! What do you think you are doing!" he asked her as he walked closer to her in the candle lit room.

"Where the hell is your guard and what the hell happened to the lights!" Darren screamed getting more and more mad as he approached her.

Henry lifted Aiden up in his arms and walked him down the back stairs leading down to the kitchen and out the back door, the back stairs were the furthest point from Darren's office and he didn't hear him in the room with her. He ran across the street to a neighbor's house with a sleeping Aiden in his arms.

John was just arriving at the house when he noticed Henry running across the street with Aiden in his arms; John jumped out of the car and ran over to them before they made it to the front steps.

"What are you doing Natalie!" Darren asked again still moving towards her when she realized she was going to have to maneuver her way around him, if he got his hands on her she knew for sure he would hurt her, he was desperate, she even remembered that, how desperate he had been prior to the kidnapping.

Darren came towards her and she side stepped, just as she thought she was out of his reach and she could make a run for it, he grabbed her and threw her towards the big front windows of the room, knocking her unconscious to the floor. Darren looked away from her body lying on the floor just to realize that in the process of throwing her he also knocked over the candle opera with the lit candles. The candles fell to the floor near the bottom of the long heavy drapes that hung on the windows; the highly flammable drapes which ignited into a fire in a matter of seconds.

John approached Henry and Aiden just as Henry was ringing the doorbell of the neighbors home. John was about to say something to Henry, ask where Natalie was when both men turned to see Darren running out of the house, they looked closer thru the front windows of the house and noticed the drapes were on fire.


	20. Chapter 20

**ABC owns them**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 20**

John saw Darren run from the house and then he noticed what looked like fire crawling up the drapes of the windows in the front of the house.

"Oh. My. God. John, is that fire? That's Darren's office, Natalie... Natalie's in there" Henry got the words out as he saw John run as fast as he could to the house.

Henry too started to run with him but John screamed back to him.

"Call 911, take care of Aiden, she would want you to" he screamed back to Henry and he stopped running, Aiden started to cry out in his sleep.

"Mommy... Mommy" Aiden cried out as the neighbor opened the door and took him inside with them.

John ran to the front door of the house, he felt the knob it didn't burn his hand and he proceed to turn it and enter the house; he walked in thru the foyer and towards Darren's office. When he looked into Darren's office his heart sank into his chest as he saw her again on the floor, she wasn't moving, her still body laid in front of the window and drapes full of flames, the flames were starting to spread on to the near by furnishings and he knew he had to get her and get her out before they moved closer to her.

John walked carefully into the room as it seemed the flames were everywhere, he, without hesitation bent down and picked her up, she held a file folder in her softened grip as he pulled her close to his chest and he escaped the room just as the whole thing, the whole room ignited into flames.

John carried her outside as he heard the sirens, he carried her far away from the house, he laid her down on the grass, she still hadn't woken yet and he wasn't sure how much smoke she had inhaled. He said a silent pray as he started to unconsciously rock her back and forth as he held her on his lap.

"Wake up baby, please wake up"

"John" she said upon waking, John heard her and he pulled her off his chest to look at her face. He smoothed back her hair as he continued to caress her face.

"Aiden? Where is he? Is he okay?" Natalie asked him as she started to panic, she never did see or hear Henry take him out of the house.

"Shhhhhhh.. He's fine, he didn't see a thing, he doesn't know a thing," he told her as he again started to rock her

"Darren, did ya get him, did Henry give you the files, where's the file I had?' Natalie asked as she pulled herself off his chest and half way out of his arms. Natalie started to cough a bit, a heavy deep cough.

"The ambulance will be here any minute, any minute babe, you're gonna be alright" he told her reassuring her that she was fine. They stared into each other's eyes for a minute and she got an even more scared look on her face.

"I...I forgot... the baby" was all she could get out as she let herself shed the tears that were gathering inside her eye's.

John held her for a few more minutes as the ambulance arrived, he held on for dear life, not wanting to even let go when the medics told him they needed to check her out. Just as the medics were about to transport her both John and Natalie saw Henry walk over to them.

"Natalie, Thank God, I'm so sorry I shouldn't have left to get Aiden, I should have insisted you leave with me, with us, I should have made sure."

"Henry, you got Aiden out before anything could happen to him, that's what I wanted you to do, please don't do this to yourself" Natalie told him

"Give John the files," she told Henry and Henry, told her he would, she was about to be transported when a paramedic asked her a question about her pregnancy.

"What?" Natalie asked cause she didn't hear the whole questions

"How far along are you?"

"Oh, about three mon---" Natalie went to say but stopped herself, she smiled. Everyone looked at her and was confused.

"Natalie?" John questioned

"I... I don't think I'm pregnant, I mean.. It's impossible for me to be having Darren's baby"

"What?" John asked not sure where this was going

"I remember, my memories are back, I remember the roof John, the Saint Jude's medal, Michael and his corny jokes and I remember... remember that Darren is sterile"

"I'm not having a baby John, it was just another one of Darren's games, another ploy to be the perfect family and get elected tomorrow." she said as she smiled, all thou she was exhausted, looked like hell, she got up enough energy to smile at the fact that she wasn't having his baby, it just wasn't possible.

"Natalie" john said as the medic started to wheel her off, she looked up at him.

'What?" she asked as he followed behind the gurney over to the ambulance, the men lifted her up and put her in the ambulance.

"What John?" she asked again and he took a breath, he shook his head, he was going to say, he wanted to say it but what if it wasn't true, what if he just disappointed himself, what if he said it and she got disappointed and the whole thing was phony, not just the time line. He bit his tongue and pressed the words he wanted to say down deep.

"Nothing, I.. Henry went to get Aiden, I'll follow right behind the ambulance with my car, I won't let either one of you out of my sight again" he told her as the Medic closed the ambulance door. John stared at her thru the back window of the car.

"Maybe you're having my baby again," he said out loud as he heard the medic start the engine of the ambulance.


	21. Chapter 21

**ABC owns them**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 21**

John arrived at the hospital within a few minutes after the ambulance, he had Aiden in the back seat in a car seat and Henry was also with him. The two men didn't speak a word the entire way to the hospital both very much upset about the night's activities, the activities that almost killed Natalie. John called Bo while driving and explained what had occurred at Darren's tonight, Bo said he would call Jess and the family and meet him at the hospital.

John carried his now sleeping son in his arms as he walked into the hospital along with Henry. John walked right over to the nurse's desk and demanded to know where Natalie was.

"Natalie Buchanan, I mean... Natalie Southers was just brought in by ambulance, I need to know where she is," he told the nurse and she looked at him.

"You're not her husband," the nurse told him as she looked at him

"No, I'm not" John told her quietly as he continued to hold Aiden as he slept in his arms

"I know you're not, cause I know what he looks like, he's, they're all over the local papers, I'm sorry sir, but unless you're family"

"He is family Damn it! Can't you see he has her son in his arms! Just tell us where she is!" Henry told the nurse abruptly, the nurse made a face and then against her better judgment told them where to find her.

"Maybe you should calm yourself before you alienate the whole hospital staff" John told him and Henry glared at him.

"If you didn't have the kid in your arms I'd tell ya what to do with Calm, I've been calm for years, years while that A--- hole, took advantage of things, manipulated her, me, the public, not anymore, I may not be free tomorrow but for today, I'm gonna make sure she's alright, that all of you are alright, I at least own her that" Henry said as they walked over to the exam room the Nurse told them Natalie was taken into.

John looked into the room thru the small window and saw Michael inside taking care of her, he walked over to the seats a few feet away from the room, he laid Aiden down on the seat next to him, as he himself put his head back up against the seat, for just a brief minute to regain his composure and try and decipher the last hour of their lives.

"Natalie I think you'll be alright but I want you to spend the night, do some tests and then if everything looks okay, you can go home tomorrow." Michael told Natalie as he finished his initial exam.

"What kind of tests Michael? I really don't want to stay here tonight"

"Just a few tests on you and on the baby"

"But that's it Michael, I was trying to tell you earlier. I don't think I'm really pregnant, I... I mean, I think Darren made it up, cause I couldn't be pregnant by him, he had polio as a child it made him sterile"

"Natalie, you could be wrong, maybe he lied about that"

"No...I would've been pregnant along time ago"

"Yuck... you just confirmed that you had sex with that guy Nat"

"He was my husband Michael"

"Yeah but he was a jerk"

"He wasn't allows, not when I first met him, he helped me to try and find John" Natalie said and then she got pissed, the file, the file in Darren's cabinet, the file on John, it said he knew where John was all along, it also contained the name of the Dr who killed John and Michael's dad on the operating table. Natalie had read it so fast, but she could have sworn it said Paige Miller, then it also said something about having a lead on the shooter.

"Natalie ... hello Nat, are ya still with me here?" Michael asked as he saw her lost in her thoughts

"Sorry Mike"

"Natalie, is it... I mean... just listen to me alright?" he asked and she nodded her head yes

"Maybe you are pregnant, maybe it's just not... well not Darren's, have you.. I mean. You know what I'm asking Natalie" Michael asked flushed he didn't want to just come out and ask about her love life, whether she had slept with his brother was really what he was asking but he was getting embarrassed by hinting to it.

Michael saw her eyes widen when he hinted to what he hinted to, she briefly covered her mouth with her hand and looked up at him.

"Michael"

"I'll do a ultrasound," Michael said knowing what the look on her face meant

"Now Michael.. I .. need to make sure the baby is alright, Darren shoved me hard" she told him as she was beginning to get upset, she realized, finally realized that it was possible she was pregnant, pregnant with John's baby again. She lay on the table silent for a few minutes trying to ignore the emotions that were building inside of her. The emotions that were battling it out inside of her. The happy emotion that she may be having another baby with John and that he would know this time, and hopefully be happy to about it, then there was the fear emotion, afraid, two different types of afraid, the first was that John wouldn't be happy about it and the second, well the second was what made her most afraid. Would John run away again, would he decide with the new information that she had found in the file from Darren's cabinet, would he decide to leave her, Aiden, and now a new baby to go run all over the country trying to find the man who killed his dad. Would he leave again, and not come back, not come back at all if he didn't find any answers, if this new lead was another dead end.

"Okay Nat the gel with be cold" Michael told her as he started to perform the ultrasound to see if she was really pregnant.

In the hall John started to pace the floors waiting to see her, Aiden was still asleep in the seats and Henry was standing up against the wall outside of her room, he still had all the files that Natalie had given him in the house, she had told him to give them to John but neither of them felt much like looking at them, there number one concern right now was Natalie.

John continued to pace as he saw Henry staring at Aiden as he slept in the seats.

"You don't know how lucky you are do you?" Henry said out loud to John, he looked straight at him and uncrossed his arms from across his chest.

"Maybe if I was a different person, a stronger person, maybe I would've been able to make things different for them, different for me, maybe I could've had a chance with her, maybe she would've been able to Love me like she loved you, like she loves you, maybe we, the three of us would've been a family, but... but that was never going to happen, I was just lucky enough to know her, them, be apart of their lives for the last few years. " Henry told him and John stood silent, he wasn't sure where this was all coming from. Henry walked a little closer to Aiden; he touched his head gently not to wake him.

"These files.. One of them contains something I did when I was younger; at a home when I was seventeen, Darren... well he knew about it and used it to keep me in line so to speak. He used it for leverage so I did as he said and didn't ask questions." Henry told John as he handed over the files to him. John flipped thru the file folder for a second.

"That second file, that file is on you, not just you but your dad's murder, it... it tells about the Dr who botched the surgery, and... And well, why don't you read it yourself" Henry told him as he walked away briefly as he saw John read the file.

A few moments later, John turned to Henry and looked at him.

"I know it's none of my Business but... well Damn! It is my business cause of the way I feel about her, so I have to know, are you... are you going to take the information in that file Agent Mcbain, take that info and think it's more important than her, her and your son, are you going to leave again, and maybe never come back again" Henry told John and John still remained quiet, Darren shook his head.

"I just can't understand you, understand how. Why you just can't let them fix you, she, they fixed me without even trying and she didn't even love me. You just don't realize how lucky you really are, do you?" Henry said as he walked away from John feeling disgusted.


	22. Chapter 22

**ABC owns them**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 22**

"So it's true then, I'm really pregnant, barely one month, not three months?" Natalie asked as Michael finished cleaning up the gel from the ultrasound.

'Yes, it's true"

"And everything is alright, with the baby, I mean... Darren.. the smoke.. my baby's alright?"

" Yes, Natalie .. the baby seems fine, you seem fine also...'

"Then I can go home... I mean.. the carriage house.. I mean Llanfair..I .. I don't know where home is anymore, I have my memory back and home was with Darren at his home but it really wasn't, do you understand that, I mean, it was home but never felt like home, nothing has really felt like home since.. since.. " Natalie told him getting emotional again, she shook her head " never mind, Can I see my son now, and John"

"In a few minutes, Natalie.. I need to ask.. ask what you want to do about the baby, I know you want to keep it, what I mean is.. What are you going to tell John?"

Natalie thought about things some more, she didn't know what to do, should she tell him, should she wait and find out if he was going to leave again and go after the killer again, maybe find him this time, why? She asked herself and she shook her head, she knew him to well, he would leave them again, he would promise to come back as soon as possible, whether he found the killer or not, why? She again asked herself, why couldn't he just let her help to make him feel better about life, why wouldn't he let her heal him, or at least let her try and fix him.

After a few minutes of silent thoughts she answered Michael.

'I'm not telling John about the baby right now, I need to see how things play out, so as far as everything goes, I'm not pregnant, and never was" Natalie told him with a serious tone about her

"Natalie, how am I supposed to lie to my own brother?"

"You're my doctor Mikey, and my friend, just do it"

"Natalie that's not fair'

"I know Michael but is it fair that your brother feels he won't be able to have anything in life if he doesn't catch your fathers killer, is it fair that he will most likely leave cause of new info that will probably help him to find the shooter this time, is it fair that he will leave me to raise a second child of his alone, cause he is still in no condition to be a father himself. Because he feels like a failure, no Mikey, it's not fair, life isn't fair and sometimes, sometimes, Deceptions are all that get you thru the hurt and the pain, and sometimes, they are what gets you thru the love too.

John flipped thru the files he and Henry were just discussing, he read over the info on his fathers murder over and over again, there was a lead in the file that he didn't know about, something that might pan out, something that could lead them to find the killer, maybe finally find him and put all this to rest. Maybe make him whole, make him feel good again, something he had felt in such a long time. He thought about things for a few minutes and then he re heard Henry's words in his head.

"I just can't understand you, understand how. Why you just can't let them fix you, she, they fixed me without even trying and she didn't even love me. You just don't realize how lucky you really are, do you?"

John knew he was going to have to make a decision, a decision on whether he should let this rest unsolved or whether he should use the new information to try and find his dad's killer. He glanced over at Aiden who was still asleep on the seats, how could he think of leaving him now, now with Darren still out there waiting to get a hold on him, he smiled for a brief moment as he saw Aiden himself smile out in his sleep and then he asked himself a few more questions. How could he be a father, a good father to Aiden, and now maybe even another baby if he wasn't right inside, if he felt guilty still, what would that bring to his children's life, how would his brooding effect the lives of his children. How would it effect her, would it change her, maybe cause her to change everything he always Loved most about her, would it cause her more sadness than joy in the long run?

John continued to over analyze things in his head when he closed his eye's, he saw her, just going thru the motions in life, just living day by day with him and their children, she would make excuses for him, for why he couldn't be more loving with them, for why he couldn't feel more, she would have to pick up the slack for him, take care of their emotional needs all alone because he was to damaged to handle it. He opened his eyes and blinked a few times she not knowing what to do.

"Michael Promise me, promise me if John decides he still needs to go find your fathers killer, promise me that you won't tell him about the baby, I... I don't want him to be miserable, I .. don't...I.. can't keep him here if he needs and wants to do something else, we would all just be miserable in the long run. If I'm not enough, if we're not enough" Natalie said the last part as she touched her still flat stomach. "Then he's just better off going and not knowing"

"Natalie, you're not giving him a choice again"

"He has a choice, he already knows about Aiden, if he feels he can be a good father to him with this hanging over him then fine, I'll tell him about the baby but if he doesn't, and if he feels he still needs to do this, then I can't, we can't stand in his way, we want all of him Michael, my children deserve all of him and if they have to be without him for awhile to get him that way, then it'll be worth it then won't it?"

"And what if he doesn't come back again?" Michael said staring into her teary eye's as a few tears started to fall.

"That's just the chance I'll have to take"

"John" Michael said as he walked out into the hall from the exam room where Natalie was. John turned quickly to see Michael who approached him quickly.

"Mikey, how is she? Is she aright? The baby?" John asked and saw Michael look down with his eyes

"She's alright John, but..."

"But what about the baby?"

"You'll have to ask her about the baby John, she wants to see you and Aiden"


	23. Chapter 23

**ABC owns them**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 23**

"Hey" John said as he entered the room alone, he walked in to see her lying in the bed with her head pressed up against a few pillows.

"Hey" she said back a bit nervous, nervous cause she wasn't quite sure how she would be able to lie to him yet again, that was if she had to.

"Where's Aiden?"

"He's asleep out in the hall, your family just got here and we all thought it was best not to wake him, but.. I can go get him if it's really important to you"

"No that's alright, let him sleep, he's been thru so much lately"

Natalie started to fidget with her covers that were pulled up on her. John could see how nervous she was and he hated it, he wanted her to feel comfortable around him, around him again. He moved a little closer to her and pulled a chair next to the bed.

"We have a lot to talk about, don't we?" He told her and she gave him a bit of a small smile

"Yeah, we do...I'm...I'm really sorry, sorry about everything, sorry about the way you found out about Aiden, lying to you about ... well.. About Loving Darren, you know I did that for your protection, yours and Aiden, I mean, I didn't remember things, just some stuff and Darren he .. he took advantage of that, I thought he was going to, I thought he could hurt you or have Aiden sent away or hurt him, I...I'm.. So sorry" she told him as he reached for her and he pulled her into an embrace, he wrapped his arms around her and didn't want to let go.

Natalie pulled away from him after a few minutes. She backed herself up and looked into his eyes.

"Did Henry give you all the information we got out of Darren's office? Is it enough to arrest him and put him away? I mean.. I remember everything now, how he had us held up in that house, how he had us brought back, how ...how rough he was with me and made me fall, I... I just can't believe he did all those things.. He played me John. All these years he's been playing me"

"It's okay Natalie, maybe now isn't the best time to be talking about all of this, you've been thru so much. I... asked Michael about the Baby, if it was true"

"Did you see the file John? The file on you and your dad's killer?" Natalie asked changing the subject, she had to know what was going on in his head, what he was going to do about the new info before she told him anything about the baby. John just assumed she was changing the subject to avoid it cause it was too painful, he ignored his own prior questions and answered hers.

"Yeah, I saw it"

"Well... well what are you going to do about it, what do you want to do about it? About the information in the folder, about Paige and about the other lead on finding the shooter."

"Natalie.. Now isn't the time for this"

'Yes, John it is, I want to know what you are going to do, what you feel you need to do with this new info"

"Natalie right now you need to concentrate on getting better, and I need to concentrate on finding that Son of a Bitch Husband of yours, find him so I can beat the shit out of him and then arrest him"

"Any leads?"

"Your uncle has almost every patrol car out looking for him but it's late now, not sure if we'll find him tonight."

"You know.. if the press hasn't gotten a hold of this yet cause it's late.. maybe.. just maybe he'll be stupid enough to show up at city hall for the election results tomorrow afternoon" Natalie told John and John thought about it for a minute

"You could be right Kid' John told her and they smiled at each other. He took her hand from over her covers and he laced his fingers with hers, he looked into her eyes.

" What's the matter?" she asked him as she watched him take her hand.

"Nothing... well.. I .. I can't believe I'm here with you, with you again, and we have a son Natalie, a three year old son, it just feels weird.'

"Is it a happy kind of weird John, I mean.. Does it make you happy, when you think about us?" Natalie asked again fishing for answers on his mental state and if he was going to leave again

"Honestly.. I don't know, I mean, I really don't know what happy is, not sure I've ever been it, or at least not for a very long time" John told her and he felt the distance between them widen, she cautiously pulled her fingers out of his.

'I'm really tired John, can you have my Mom or dad bring Aiden in here, I don't want to sleep with out him near by" she told him careful not to cry, not to let the tears escape, what he had just said, about not knowing if he was ever happy just confirmed that he was going to use the new info, that she had to let him, she had to keep the baby a secret from him, she only hoped it wasn't something that she had to keep for long.

John agreed to ask her Parents to bring Aiden in and he walked out into the hall very confused. It seemed as if she.. she got upset, very upset, he never did find out if she was really pregnant or not, but going by how upset she got and how she changed the subject quickly when he mentioned the baby he knew it wasn't good news. He'd let it rest for now, for now he wouldn't push her, he would let her rest and move on from this horrible experience of being married to a man like Darren Southers, and all the things he did to her.

John spoke with Vicky for a few minutes as Clint carried Aiden inside to sleep besides Natalie. John explained to Vicky all that was going on, all that happened tonight, he also told her he would be seeing to having Darren arrested himself. Vicky excused herself and went inside to join Clint in the room with Natalie, John glanced in thru the window of the room and he watched her as she held their son on her chest as he slept. He stood frozen for a few minutes just thinking about how he was going to tell her, explain to her that he had to go again, go and find his dad's killer, use the information he found out, that was unless .. unless she asked him not to, this time if she asked him not to, not to go he wouldn't, he would live with what he felt inside, he would just deal with it, if he had to, if she asked him not to.

John continued to watch her with their son on her chest when he heard Michael clear his throat as he approached him.

"She's trying to rest" John told Michael as they both looked in thru the window at her

"That's good cause she needs all the rest she can get, she's been thru so much"

"She sure has' John said as he walked away from the door to the room

"John, she... she told me there's new info on dad's killer, Darren had it or something"

"Yeah, a new lead"

"What are you going to do with it?"

"I'm gonna follow it up, as long as it's okay... with her.. I mean.. after I help put Darren away and make her, them safe, then I'll follow the lead where it will take me"

"Why don't you just pass it on to the police let them follow it up?'

"No Mikey, I've gotta do it"

"Just as stubborn about this case as all those years ago John, just as stubborn, what I wanna know is.. well.. Is it going to be worth it, when you finally catch the guy, is it going to be worth all that you've missed out on the passed three years and all that you might miss out on in the future"

"It's been a lot day Michael just spit it out, what are you trying to say?"

"Give it up John, give up the chase, this ridiculous chase that you thing might fix something, walk away from it, choose to be Happy, happy with them."

"I can't be happy until this is over, until it's finally behind me"

"You're an ass John, you're just an ass, you do this and you may have more things to be unhappy about, you already put her in a position once where she felt desperate to move on from you and look at where it got her"

"All I can say is.. if you leave them now, if you turn your back on everything you've ever wanted, you're an ass" Michael said as he walked away from John shaking his head


	24. Chapter 24

**ABC owns them**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 24**

John waited in the hallway outside her room till almost two in the morning, he was waiting for her family to finally leave so he could go inside and stay with them, close to them. He wanted to be as close to them as possible for however long as possible. He knew he would be leaving, he doubted she would tell him to stay, he knew Natalie, she wouldn't come right out and ask him to stay, if she did she would regret putting that kind of pressure on him and the truth was.. He felt he needed to do this.

He walked into the room, she was sound asleep and she looked so peaceful, content with their son sleeping half on her chest, half on the bed. John walked closer and touched Aiden's head, he moved the hair that was in front of his forehead back and he kissed his forehead. He looked over at Natalie and he moved his hand over to her cheek, he touched it for a minute and saw her stir so he removed it. She didn't wake and he took a seat in the chair next to the bed. Within a few minutes he was sound asleep.

John slept in the chair next to her bed for a few hours when he was awoken by a noise, he turned around to see Henry in the hall fighting with someone, he got up quickly out of the chair and started to walk outside into the hall when he saw who it was, it was Darren, he was here in the hospital.

John quickly made his way out into the hall and pulled out his gun. As he approached he saw that Darren was holding something pointed at Henry. It was a gun, small and usually reserved for a woman. Smirking at the thought he accidentally bumped his foot on a passing cart and Darren started. John cursed as Darren quickly grabbed Henry, spun him around and pressed the gun to his temple, using the other man as a human shield.

Holding his gun level and aiming it at Darren John said, his voice cold and harsh showing he meant business, "Drop it Darren! Just give me a reason, please."

Darren trembled with fury. This, this cop had gotten the best of him yet again! The only thing to do now was to run. The election be damned, it meant nothing now anyway. Holding Henry as close as he could shielding himself incase John decided to fire he slowly backed out of the hospital.

John could see the other man was terrified but he still was holding together. He was trying to say something with his eyes but John didn't understand what. He shook his head slightly and Henry mouthed something. John caught it this time. Henry was saying "Shoot him" John understood what Henry was asking and shook his head "No" Henry said it again, pleading with his eyes not to let Darren go.

They were getting very close to the door and John still couldn't get a clean shot nurses were screaming and someone had called for Bo. Just as Darren dragged Henry to the door John knew he couldn't let Darren out of there or he would never be found so, taking a deep breath and doing exactly what Henry had asked, John took his shot. He hit Henry in the upper arm causing to stumble and cry out in pain. Darren however was also hit, only a graze really, and he shouted in pain. Shoving Henry forcefully at John he took off at a run. John steadied Henry looked around briefly to see that he got medical attention and then took off after Darren at a dead run.

Snaking his hand in his pockets he took out his car keys and hit the unlock button then the automatic start button and the car roared to life. Jumping in his car just as Darren sped from the parking lot he threw it in gear and stomped the gas, leaving a 10-foot patch of rubber behind.

The air smoky and stinking of burned rubber John tore out of the parking lot at 50 miles an hour. Quickly catching up to Darren as he exited on to the high way John attempted to position himself to attempt to force Darren off the road. Cursing Darren as he swerved and tried to ram his car John took out his gun and aimed for a tire. Rolling down the side window he carefully aimed, or as careful as he could at 90 miles an hour, then took his shot.

The tire exploded into hail of rubber confetti causing the car to swerve violently and sparks to shoot out like a deadly rain of fire. Miraculously Darren kept the car on the road and gunned the engine to an even more breakneck speed. Cursing to himself yet again John also sped up, thanking God that the highway was fairly deserted except for truck traffic. The nearest big rig was quite a ways away but at the speed they were going they would catch up quickly.

Darren clutched the wheel and had his foot pressed almost to the floor. The car shuddered and bucked as he sped down the highway, certain he would escape. Speeding up even more he put some distance between himself and John, holding the wheel in a white knuckled grip as he passed a large rig on the right hand side of the road then cut in front of it to get around another rig.

John was two-car-lengths behind as Darren began to weave dangerously between the convoy of rigs. Picking up his CB he began to talk to the truckers asking them to box the other man in but not to endanger themselves while doing so. He smiled to himself grimly as they began to box Darren in leaving him no escape. He began to frown as Darren began to look of an out. Weaving dangerously and almost clipping a rig he began to loose control of the car and was sucked under a rig.

John watched in sick fascination as Darren's car emerged on the other side, minus the top. Calling his thanks to the truckers and asking the one to stop John slowed down and called for back up and an ambulance even though he knew that Darren was most likely dead. Getting out of the car when it stopped and taking out his gun he approached the car cautiously. When he got there he almost threw up, Darren was in the car alright he was just missing his head. Turning his head to the side and gagging he saw Darren's head lying on the road some 30 feet away. Watching as a fat guy on a scooter drove past, rubbernecking, and ran over the severed head he felt a certain sick satisfaction. He wasn't sorry Darren was dead, all he felt was relief that Natalie was safe from him and that bastard would never bother her ever again.

Action scenes written and produced by:

**Missy Ann(AKA White Dove)**

The Queen of Pain


	25. Chapter 25

**ABC owns them**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 25**

John walked into the hospital still wired by what just happened with Darren. Even with what just happened to Darren John still felt nothing; he still deserved to suffer more for what he put Natalie and his son thru. The only upside to what happened was Natalie wouldn't have to look at his ugly mug ever again. She wouldn't have to see him across a courtroom or in prison, ever. Actually no one would ever have to look at his ugly mug again since it was cut off his body by a truck, and then run over by an extremely fat man on a scooter...

John approached her room, he looked inside the window and saw she was gone, where was she? He asked himself as he heard Aiden giggle and coming towards him.

"Ohn!" he said as he grabbed John's legs, John leaned down to speak to him at his eye level.

"Hey Buddy, how are you? How's mommy?" he asked him as he smiled at him.

"I good, she good, we're going back to Papa's house, we gonna stay there, he's gonna set up my trains"

"That's great Buddy"

"You wanna come and play"

"Maybe for a little while if you papa doesn't mind, but just for a little while cause I gotta leave town for a bit" John told Aiden as he didn't see her standing behind him.

"So you are going?" Natalie asked as she startled him, he jumped a little and didn't know what exactly to tell her, he really hadn't wanted to do this here, here in the hall, out in the open. John walked a little closer to her, and he took her aside.

"Can we go somewhere and talk, it's about Darren, and ... and ..well"

'And about you leaving.. sure.. Why don't you follow us back to Llanfair, you can play trains with Aiden for a few minutes, and then we can talk, that is if you have time" Natalie told him and she couldn't help it, she said the last part in a snide tone, she knew she shouldn't have but she just couldn't help it, deep down inside she wanted to scream, to scream and ask why they weren't enough for him, ask when he was finally going to realize that all that was important in life was standing right in front of him but.. but she knew she couldn't, if she did, it would just make things worse later down in life.

John arrived at Llanfair a few seconds after Natalie and Aiden did, Clint drove them back but then he had a conference call to make so he excused himself and left the three of them alone.

John sat on the floor with Aiden and helped set up the trains, the played trains for almost an hour as Natalie just watched them, the two of them, they were in their own little world, they zoned out, they zoned her out, they acted as if she wasn't even around. She watched and tried so hard to fight the tears from coming, she didn't want them to come now, she went into the kitchen for a few minutes just so she didn't cry in front of him, crying in front of John would make things worse at this point and she refused to let him see her cry.

When Natalie returned from the kitchen she noticed he was talking to Aiden in a soft tone, almost impossible to hear but she heard him, and what she heard made her tears threaten to fall again.

"I've gotta go Buddy, but I'll be back, I promise, I won't be gone to long this time and.. and well. take care of your mom. I wouldn't be going but.. but I'm doing this for you, for all of us, I need to do this, I Love you" he told Aiden and he kissed the top of his head. Aiden was much to young to understand what exactly John was referring to; all he knew was he was leaving for a while and that he said he loved him. Aiden smiled at John after he kissed his head.

"I love you ohn" he said and John stood frozen in his spot, he couldn't move, his son just told him he loved him. He smiled as his eye's got watery.

Natalie began to tear again but she again refused them to fall. She walked into the room to see him become unstuck and walking towards her.

"Can we talk now?" John asked her as she nodded yes. They both took a seat on the couch a little ways away from Aiden so he couldn't hear them.

"Darren is dead" John started off saying

"I kinda figured, with the way it seemed so secretive"

'He got what he deserved Natalie, but I didn't have the privilege of giving it to him myself."

"I'm really not sorry he's dead John, I mean, there was a time when he was good to me, very good to me but... well I just don't want to talk about it. What else John, tell me, tell me about you leaving"

"I've gotta find him Natalie, if I don't, if I don't I can't give myself to you or to Aiden or a baby, if there is a baby"

"Darren lied, John" John shook his head

"So you think you're gonna find him this time, the killer? Do ya think this time will be different?"

'It's gotta be, I have so much riding on this, I've gotta find him, if I don't I don't think I can be the father Aiden deserves, If I don't I don't think I can be the man you deserve"

"That's ridiculous John, you are already the father Aiden Deserves, you just don't know it, you are already the man I deserve but you just don' t want to see it, but if you.. If you feel you need to do this then you have to, I wouldn't not that I could but .. I wouldn't stand in your way. Just be safe John... be safe cause my little boy could really use you to come back," Natalie said and she started to lose it, she got up off the couch and started to quickly walk towards the kitchen.

"Natalie " he said as he walked behind her slightly as she almost ran into the kitchen.

"Excuse me John, see yourself out, and be careful," she said, she couldn't get out of that room fast enough. She couldn't bear to see him; every tear that she was suppressing came tumbling down her cheeks quickly.

She watched from the kitchen door, he hesitating for a few minutes but then walked into the foyer, she heard the front door close and she knew he was gone, gone again, possibility gone forever this time.

Aiden ran into the kitchen looking for Natalie when he found her sitting on the kitchen steps that led upstairs, he approached her and he saw she was crying, he thru himself onto her lap and hugged her, she hugged him for dear life and she started rocking them back and forth as she heard him try to comfort her.

"It ok mommy, he come back, he said so"


	26. Chapter 26

**ABC owns them**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 26**

A week had passed, Natalie had asked Kevin and her father to take care of Darren's stuff, financial stuff, although he was a bastard Natalie was still his wife of three years, and she got everything, the house, for which there wasn't much left to, the cars, and all his money, money she didn't want, money she donated to charities, mostly charities having to do with children, orphanages and charities like that, Henry had helped to pick out the charities and taking care of all that stuff. Henry had been around this last week and thanks to her Uncle Bo, he would continue to be around for a very long time, she wasn't exactly sure what he had done but some how he pulled some type of strings and got things right for Henry, Henry didn't have to do any hard time for what he did when he was younger, just some community service which he loved.

John had called the house almost everyday for the past week but Natalie just wasn't up to speaking with him, it hurt to much for now, it was to raw, soon it would probably ease up, ease up she hoped, then maybe she would speak to him. She felt more upset this time with him being gone, more upset and nervous than the last time 4 years ago and she just couldn't bring herself to speak to him just yet.

She had been in the house almost everyday for that last week when Henry had come by and taken her to lunch, she tried to refuse but he was not allowing it, she laughed remembering how he thought he was being so forceful, how it seemed so funny cause that was not who he was, he wasn't controlling or powerful, he wasn't Darren, he was just himself and an amazing friend. She sat on the steps in the foyer watching Aiden play thru the french doors into the living room as she began to get emotional yet again for what seemed like the hundredth time this week.

Aiden was growing up so fast, he would be in school before she knew it, starting Nursery school soon probably, he was just getting so big, the time was flying by and she couldn't stop it although she wanted to, she touched her stomach subconsciously, with the time flying by as fast as it's been it wouldn't be long before she would have another one, another baby, another miracle to add to her life, Natalie felt her tears forming in her eyes. Again she was crying but what was it this time? And did it really need to be about anything major. She asked herself. These days she just cried at the drop of a hat lately, she felt as if she was beginning to lose all control and she didn't know how to stop it, she hated to cry and to cry in from of people and that was all she had been doing for the past week, she tried to put the blame on hormones but she knew that wasn't the full reason for all the tears, she knew what it was about and who the tears were about and she just couldn't help them from forming, from shedding, from falling, the tears that was.

Nat continued to sit and watch as Aiden ran over to her and grabbed her hand. She shook her head; he looked so much like John, spitting image, even the eyes were the same, even the little things like tuning her out when he was concentrating on something. She again touched her stomach wondering if the baby inside her growing would look like John too, wondering if he or she would have his traits. Aiden took her hand and led her to the living room near his trains.

"Don't cry Mommy, trains will make it better" Aiden told her as he pulled her down on the floor to play trains with him, she smiled in between the tears, she wiped the remaining ones off her face as she continued to smile at him. It was amazing how better he made her feel just the way his father had always made her better, he was amazing, they both were amazing.

Natalie put on a happy face for her son and played trains for a few hours, Aiden was right, it helped to make things better, better if only for a short

Time.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

John lay on the bed in a cheesy hotel in GA. he stared at the dirty ceiling and wondered how he got here, how he ended up here. He had tracked down the lead from the file Darren had, a man, a witness who saw the shooting of his dad, this man had actually given him enough info to figure out who the shooter was, a nobody, a junkie, a dealer, he was a kid at the time of the shooting a sixteen year old kid but today he was a grown man. He tracked all the info he could on this man and that's how he ended up here, here in this dingy room, waiting, waiting for the man who stole happy years away from him and his brother.

This kid, well now man was staying at this dirty hotel, he was still a junkie, amazing that he lived this long John kept a sound eye out for him thru the window of his room that was directly across from the boy, man, junkie who stole so much from his life who was still stealing so much from him, stealing time.

Time, John thought, time I should be spending with Aiden, Natalie his.. his.. girlfriend. He thought that to himself but shook his head, she was so much more than that wasn't she, she was more than just his girlfriend, more than just mother of his child, she was his life, before her he went thru the motions even after her he continued to go thru them but she lightened him, his life even if there was a time where he was too stubborn, to blind to see, she was all he ever wanted, why couldn't he let her be all he ever needed? He asked himself and for some reason, all the reasons why he was here, here tracking down a killer, his dads shooter, all those reasons were getting harder and harder to understand. He started to doubt his reasons, doubt being away from them.

John was beginning to have doubts about being here, about if all that he had given up over the years, if all that he had done over the years would've been something his dad would've wanted for him. What would his father have wanted of him, for him, he thought about his own son, about Aiden, what does he want for him in life, for him to accomplish, if there was one thing he wanted, he could give his son, what would it be?

"Happiness" John said out loud as he smiled, he was such a jerk, he had finally gotten it, he wouldn't want his son, Aiden spending his life miserable, afraid to love, afraid to show emotion, he wouldn't want him to spend his life carrying around guilt and grief over him and maybe his death, he would want him to live, to be happy, to love, to have a full life.

He again smiled realization probably for the first time what a jerk he had been and realization how much he had been taking things like Natalie and Aiden for granted. How lucky he actually was for finding them and for finding love in the lifetime. John closed his eyes for a brief second, he could see it probably for the first time, the three of them together, a family, even more them. He felt as if he was healed, as if he was fixed, as if he finally got it, got life and what the old man would be proud of him for, for being with them, taking care of them, living life to its fullest.

John walked over to the bed, grabbed his bag, loaded and left the hotel. He stopped at the police station and brought them the info on the man who shot his father, then he was so anxiously on his way back to them, back to his life.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Natalie rolled over in bed, she got a strange feeling come over her, her stomach was beginning to ache, she jumped straight up from her sleep, placed her hand on her stomach, she reached to the night stand grabbed for the phone and called Michael, she knew this wasn't good.


	27. Chapter 27

**ABC owns them**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 27**

John arrived at Llanfair sometime close to midnight, he was debating whether he should just wait till morning to come and see them but he just couldn't, he needed to see them now, as soon as possible, he needed to tell him how wrong he was for leaving this time and last time, how much he needed them, and wanted them to be a family, how much he loved them, and that nothing else mattered.

John rang the door bell, wait a few minutes but no one answered, he continued to knock for a few more minutes and still no answer, he got a strange feeling come over him, he turned, pulled out his phone to leave when he heard a voice.

"Do you know it's the middle of the night?" Lois the live in help asked

"I'm sorry yes but I need to see Natalie and Aiden" John told her as his heart calmed a little, he still had an uneasy feeling about him but it was calming now that someone answered the door.

"Ms Natalie isn't here, Aiden's asleep in his room, but I was told not to wake him"

"Natalie's not here? Where is she at Midnight? And why can't you wake Aiden?"

"They don't want him to know Ms. Natalie was taken to the hospital, they don't want him upset anymore."

"What? Why is Natalie at the hospital?" John asked really starting to get freaked inside, he saw Lois think about whether he should tell him or not.

"They think there may be a problem with the baby," Lois told him not knowing anything about him not knowing Ms Natalie was pregnant. As far as Lois knew everyone knew and she just assumed it was her dead husbands baby, not John's.

"What?" John questioned her softly not believing what he just heard

"Ms. Natalie was having pains, they rushed her to the hospital, told me not to wake Aiden and upset him"

"What Baby?" John asked getting a little anxious for answers now

"Ms Natalie and her dead husbands baby" John heard her say that and now he was more confused than ever, he thought Darren couldn't have kids, was that a deception he told Natalie also along with all the rest. He didn't stand there and analyze things any longer he ran to his car and towards the hospital.

John arrived at the hospital in record timing, it was late and there wasn't many cars on the road, he ran into the hospital and over to the nurses station, but before he asked for Natalie he saw Vicky and Clint sitting in a few chairs outside one of the rooms, he started to walk over to them when he saw Michael walk over to them, he stood back for a few moments just observing the situation, when it hit him, what Lois said that Natalie was pregnant, pregnant with Darren's baby? He was still questioning that last thought when he saw Vicky walk into the room Nat was obviously in, Clint went down the halls and he saw Michael turn to see him.

"Hey, what are you doing here? When did you get back?" Michael asked as he walked towards John.

"I'm back, that's all that matters, where's Natalie and is she okay?"

"I guess you heard that she was here then, she's in the room with her mom, she's okay"

"And the baby?" John asked and Michael got a puzzled look on his face

"You know about the baby?" Michael questioned

"Yeah, I just found out, can I see her? Please?" John asked him softly and getting a little emotional

"Vicky's in with her, it might upset her more to see you right now"

"I won't upset her, I promise, I just have to see her for myself to make sure she's alright"

"John... now isn't the time to be screwing with her mind..."

"Just say it Mikey"

"If you're not back for good, if you don't plan on sticking around, I think it's best that Y---"

"I realized it Mikey, what you were trying to tell me, what it seemed everyone was trying to tell me, I'm not going anywhere, this is where I want to be, with her, with Aiden."

"And the baby?"

"Yeah, even with a baby that isn't mine" John told Michael and Michael looked at john weird, John had his facts screwed up but he would leave that for her to tell him.

"Please let me see her, Mikey please I promise not to upset her"

"Okay, but only for a few minutes, I need to do a few tests on the baby still to make she it's alright" Michael told him and he walked him towards the door of her room, Michael poked his head into her room.

"Hey, are you up for a visitor?" Michael asked Natalie as he saw her laying her head on her pillow trying to stay calm

"Not really, I just want to get these tests done and make sure my baby is alright"

"I think maybe...maybe you might want to see this guy" Michael told her she sat up in the bed carefully

"Aiden's here, I thought we were going to let him sleep" Natalie said as Michael opened the door wide and John walked into the room

Natalie was a little in shock, she didn't know what he was doing here, did he know about the baby, if he did is that why he was here, did Michael call him and tell him to get here? No, she shook her head he couldn't have, even if he did, he couldn't have gotten here this fast.

John walked in, he nodded to Vicky, she got up slowly and walked out of the room knowing they needed to talk, Michael followed behind her.

John took a seat next to the bed; he stared into her eyes as he leaned his hand down to take hers in his.

"What? What are you doing here? Why are you back so soon? Did you get the guy you were looking for?" she asked and he put his hand to her mouth to stop her from speaking.

"That's not important right now, right now, I just want to make sure you are alright," he said, as they got lost in each other's eyes.

"I'm...I'm alright... why are you here?" she asked needing to know

"I'm back cause...cause I was sitting alone in a empty dingy room longing for you, for Aiden. I was thinking and...and well I came to some realizations, realized some things that everyone kept telling me but I didn't listen to, that...that I was an ass for leaving you guys and... and I don't want to be an ass again, I don't want to be away from you and Aiden again, I never do. I Love you Natalie and that is all that matters" he told her and he brought her hand to his lips and kissed it, she stared at him almost in shock

"What..did you catch your guy?" she asked and he shook his head no

"No, you're more important that catching that guy"

"Really, you mean that?"

"Yep, I do" he told her and he saw all the tears forming in her eyes, she sat silent for a few minutes and then when she opened her mouth to speak a few tears escaped.

"John...I...I...I need to tell you something" she told him with the tears full blown now, he reached up with his thumbs and wiped them away.

"I already know Natalie...about the baby.. I just found out.. Is it alright? Are you sure you are alright?" John told her and she sighed, she got a weak smile on her face

"I can't believe you know, I'm sorry, I should have told you before you left told you ... how do you feel about it, or don't you know yet"

"Natalie, don't be sorry, I'm the one who should be sorry, sorry for leaving you again, just when I had just found you again, you and my son, and as for you being pregnant, I have no problem with it, I... I want us to be a family, if that's what you want Nat and... and I'll be a great father to the baby, I won't treat him any different than Aiden, he will be my son or daughter no matter whose blood he or she has running thru it"

"What?" Natalie said almost chuckling a bit, John just looked at her confused

"You think this is Darren's Baby? John, I'm not having Darren's baby, I'm having your baby again" Natalie told him and he sat him dumbfounded, he just stared at her teary eye's and his got teary as well, a few tears actually shed from his eye's and he hadn't even realized it.

"Natalie" was all he could form as he closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to keep it from you but...but you would have felt obligated to stay and I knew that finding that guy who shot your dad was the most important thing to you so I..."

"It was the most important thing to me, and for a long time, but not anymore, not anymore, not when I have so much more in my life, things that are more important, you, Aiden and now a new baby" he said a few more tears fell down his cheeks, she reached up this time with her fingers and wiped them away.

"John" she spoke softly, she held her hand on his cheek

"I had a few pains tonight, Michael's doing tests, I may be losing the baby" she told him strong on the outside cause he seem to be so upset already, but on the inside she was just as upset as he

"No" he said softly

"No, what?"

"It's going to be fine, the baby will be fine, we're all going to be fine, I refuse for it to be anything but fine"

"John, this is out of your hands," she told him and they heard a knock on the door, Michael poked his head in.

"Sorry to interrupt but.. Nat are you ready for the ultrasound?" Michael asked and Nat looked at john, they stared into each other eyes.

"Yeah, we're ready" she told him as he wheeled the ultrasound machine into the room; Michael applied the gel and moved the wand around on her belly.

"Just remember, you aren't that far along, so the things we see will appear small and confusing, so don't get upset, alright?" Michael told her, she nodded

"She won't be getting upset cause it will be fine, the baby will be fine, our baby will be fine" John said reassuring what he felt in his heart, his heart was telling him it was all going to work out this time, for them, for all of them.

John and Nat sat in silence as Michael preformed the ultrasound, he moved it around, he listened closely as he watched the ultrasound screen, he got a small smile on his face, then he put the volume on the monitor up louder so they to could hear, hear their baby's heart beat, their baby's strong heart beat.

"It's strong Nat, really strong, and it doesn't look like anything is wrong, I think my brother may be right for once in his life, I think this may have been the only thing he has gotten right the first time." Michael said and he smiled at them.

"Really Mikey, the baby's alright?" John asked softly

"Yep, mother and child both seem to be fine, Natalie will have to take it easy for a few days, maybe stay in bed and let someone pamper her but then everything should be fine."

"So when you say take it easy.. Does that mean she can't do things like... like get married or anything like that" John asked him and he smiled at her, Michael noticed they never broke eye contact so he excused himself.

"So?" John asked her

"So what?" she said smiling at him

"So will you marry me?" he told her and she acted like she was thinking really hard

"Not sure"

"What do you mean, you're not sure?"

"Well...you know ..That really was a lame way for someone to ask someone to marry them, I think you may need to put some more effort into it," she told him with a smile on her face. He sat himself on the edge of her bed, he wrapped his arms around her, pulled her upper body closer to his, he looked into her beautiful blue eyes.

"Will you marry me... was that better" he asked and smiled

"Better but not perfect, you need to kiss me after you ask"

"No, the kiss comes after you say yes"

"No, the kiss should come before I say yes that way I see what I'd be getting myself into" she told him, he smiled and shook his head

"Natalie will you marry me?" he asked her and then kissed her, she smiled

"Not sure, I think I need another kiss before I decide" she told him and smiled, she mouthed the word yes, he smiled back at her and they kissed again.

"I love you John"

"I love you Natalie"


End file.
